The Crucible Curse
by kymbersmith90
Summary: A chance encounter on the morning of her first day at work results in Emma meeting a mysterious, heavily tattooed, pretty-eyed Irish man. But there are some secrets he's not yet willing to share with her.
1. Chapter 1

**My endless thanks go to Lisa and Joni for their help with this piece.**

* * *

Emma had been rushing to get to the station, when it happened.

She'd moved to town only the day before, and had naively believed that she would be able to navigate her way to the train station without any prior preparation. As it turned out, the town was bigger than she thought it was, and she'd ended up heading in completely the opposite direction to the one she was supposed to be walking in.

She had just pulled out her phone to admit defeat, and pull up Google Maps, when she had bumped into him.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," she apologized, as she fumbled with her phone, rushing to stuff it safely into her pocket. The last thing she needed was for it to drop and smash. "I'm completely lost and I wasn't looking where I was going."

"That's quite alright," he chuckled. "You're lost?"

Emma's brain shut down temporarily at the sound of his voice. She hadn't been expecting the Irish accent. When she lifted her eyes to meet his, she almost choked on her tongue. The Irish accent belonged to one dangerously sexy looking man. He was already staring down at her with one brow cocked in amusement, and Emma couldn't decide if she wanted to slap that smug look off his face, or beg him to fuck her there and then.

But there was also something strangely familiar about him too. She was sure she'd seen him somewhere before, but she couldn't seem to put her finger on where exactly.

"Um… yeah," she finally replied, shaking her head to clear it. She was going to be late for her first day of work, if she allowed his pretty eyes to distract her any longer. "Do you have any idea where the train station is in this town?" she asked hopefully.

"You're in luck. I was headed that way myself."

"Do you mind if I tag along?"

"Not at all," he chuckled. "But you're gonna need to turn around."

Emma sighed as she followed his directions, allowing him to take a couple of steps ahead of her, before she caught up to his pace. He seemed to be moving with purpose, so she assumed that he wasn't playing with her, and actually knew where he was going.

"Are you new to town?" he asked conversationally.

"How could you tell?" she deadpanned.

The mysterious Irish man chuckled a little before he asked, "How new?"

"I moved in yesterday afternoon and stupidly thought that I could find my own way from my flat, to the station. But apparently this town is bigger than it looks on a map."

"You do know that maps are drawn to a scale, right?" he teased, winking down at her.

"Yes, thank you, Einstein. I know that now. Next time I'll Google Map it before I leave the house."

She frowned a little as he guided them down a familiar looking path. One that passed right by Emma's flat. The same one she had taken a wrong turn down earlier that morning. Apparently she _had_ been going in the right direction. Until that moment.

"So, what brings you to town?" he wondered, as he pulled a small pack of mints from his bag, and held the tin out to her in a silent offering.

"No, thanks." While he'd been kind enough to her so far, Emma wasn't sure she should be accepting anything other than guidance from a complete stranger. "I have a new job in the city," she explained.

"Oh, really? Were you living locally beforehand?"

"Not at all," she chuckled. "I went to university in Sheffield and ended up staying there after I had graduated."

Emma breathed a heavy sigh of relief when they turned another corner, and the hulking building that made up the local train station immediately came into view. There was nothing about her knight-in-shining-armor that had screamed at her to be wary of him. But one never could be too careful.

"You weren't sure I was actually taking you to the right place, huh?" he teased, having picked up on her mood instantly.

"Well… I did leave myself vulnerable to being taken advantage of there," she argued. "It was probably not my wisest move telling a complete stranger that I had no idea where I was, or where I was going."

"No, probably not," he agreed. "But at least you picked the right stranger to do it with this time."

As they made their way over to the ticket barrier, Emma's eyes scanned the small digital board quickly to see which platform she would need to wait on, and if her train was delayed at all. Of course it was, and that was why she had picked the one that left slightly earlier than necessary that morning. She wasn't willing to risk a delay that would make her late for her first day of work.

"Do you need some guidance to get you onto the right platform?" her mystery man asked cheekily, as he threw a look back at her over his shoulder.

"I think I can find platform two on my own, thank you."

Emma waved her small pass over the sensor and the gates opened easily for her, allowing her to step straight out onto platform one. A quick glance to her left showed a tiny waiting room, already full of passengers awaiting the arrival of the next train to London. A little further down was a set of restrooms, and besides those was a tiny corner shop.

Emma had taken her eyes off the kind stranger who had helped her find the station, and instead, headed to browse what the small store had to offer. She was pleasantly surprised to find that it was well stocked with enough snacks to make up for her lack of breakfast that morning, and pocket-sized activity books that would help keep travelers occupied on long journeys.

She picked up a box of breakfast bars, thinking they would probably be good to store in her desk at work; a small box of mints; and a bottle of water, before heading back out to find her way over to the platform she needed to be on.

"The bridge is to your left," came a mischievous voice from just beside her, startling her attention away from the sign she had been looking at, to the large metal staircase and walkway that bridged the two platforms just a few feet away.

"I think I could have worked that one out for myself."

"Eh, debatable." He winked in her direction to show that there were no hard feelings, as he pushed away from the wall he'd been leaning against. The mysterious Irish man nodded his head to suggest that Emma should start walking first, and she sighed a little dramatically in his direction, before finally moving.

She wanted to be annoyed by his cocky arrogance, but she couldn't seem to fight the smile that pulled at her lips, as she felt him fall into step just behind her. Emma's mystery man followed her over to the platform they both needed to be on, whistling some kind of annoying tune the entire way there.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading.**


	2. Chapter 2

"I see you found your own way today."

Emma turned her head to the left, bringing her hand up to shield her eyes from the glare of the sun, to find a familiar face smiling back at her.

"I did. And yesterday too," she chuckled. "It's almost like someone showed me the way on Friday morning, so that I was able to retrace my steps for the start of the week."

"Whoever that guy was, he must have been a truly kind soul," he joked, bringing up a hand to cover his heart.

"Who said it was he?"

Emma sent up a small prayer of thanks when cloud cover dulled the brightness of the sun for a moment, allowing her to get a good look at her mystery man once more. She had been expecting to bump into him at some point the day before, on her walk to and from the station. But he hadn't been anywhere in sight. So when she left her flat that morning, she had told herself to lower her expectations for the day.

The sun had been so bright when she'd crossed the bridge between platforms one and two, that she hadn't spotted him at first. But now that it was covered, she could see _all_ of him.

He was leaning against the brick wall behind them that separated platforms two and three, with his left leg bent up at an angle so that his foot was flat against the wall. The first thing that caught her attention was the simple black stud that he was wearing in his right ear. She'd either missed that during their first encounter, or she'd been far too distracted by those beautiful blue eyes of his to notice it.

Much like the first time they had met, he was wearing a pair of dark skinny jeans. But this time he'd forgone the leather jacket in favour of a soft black t-shirt, that left both of his forearms enticingly bare, showcasing the colourful artwork that decorated them. Emma hadn't intended to stare at him, but the longer she looked, the more detail she could make out along his arms.

He cleared his throat softly to grab her attention, and she blushed a little at having been caught. "I'm so sorry. I just wasn't expecting the tattoos."

"Most people don't," he replied, his smile a little tighter than she was used to seeing.

"Well… they suit you." Emma wasn't sure how she knew it, but she did. Somehow, those beautifully bright pieces along his arms fit perfectly with the personality she had seen small glimpses of so far. "Do any of them have a special meaning?"

"Some do." He pushed himself away from the wall and quickly stuffed the book he'd been reading into his bag. Emma had been so distracted by his body art that she hadn't noticed his reading material. "This one here," he said, as he pointed to a small cluster of stars on the inside of his right arm. "This was my first. I had it done on the anniversary of my mother's death."

"I'm so sorry to hear that."

"It's okay," he assured her. "I lost her a long time ago. But she used to love astronomy. She was rubbish at it, but I remember her trying to point out constellations to me when I was younger. So I had her favourite tattooed on my arm in memory of her. The Cygnus."

"Of course," Emma chuckled to herself. At the confused frown on his face she clarified, "Swan. It's my surname."

"Swan," he repeated, nodding his head as he did. "It suits you."

Emma blushed a little at the look on his face, and dropped her gaze down to her bag as she busied herself looking for a bottle of water. That way, she wouldn't have to look at him and see that intensity burning behind his eyes once again.

"Do you have any more?" she asked eventually.

"You've gotta at least buy a guy a drink before you ask that question," he quipped, lightening the mood instantly.

Emma laughed to cover her embarrassment, but found herself relaxing back into the wall at his tone. His easy banter was a refreshing change to the professional nature of all the relationships she currently had in the area. Being the new girl meant she was still trying to find her place with the people around her. The residents who lived in her block of flats tended to keep to themselves. Other than the guy who lived directly opposite her, she hadn't yet seen anyone else. And the only reason she'd been introduced to him was because she couldn't find the stopcock in her kitchen.

Her fellow colleagues at the office had been nice enough to her so far, but Emma wasn't sure what the dynamic was like between everyone there. She didn't want to propose they go out for a bonding lunch, just in case there were office rivalries she was currently unaware of. And she certainly didn't want to come across as being too forward or inappropriate during her first week there.

"Swan?"

"Huh?" she asked, turning to face the man beside her.

"Is everything okay?" he worried, as a small frown creased his forehead. "You seemed a little out of it there."

"It's fine," she assured him. "I was just thinking. I must have gotten lost in my own head. Sorry."

"Don't be. We've all been there."

Emma nodded her agreement but wasn't able to say anything else, as the noise of the approaching train grew in volume. She'd been so out of it that she had completely missed the announcement of its arrival into the station.

"Same time on Friday?" her mystery man asked, when it finally slowed to a stop.

The doors to each carriage opened with a soft hiss, and Emma waited to speak until the noise had passed. "I'll be here," she chuckled.

"See you then, Swan."

Before she could say anything else, he slid through the open doors in the carriage closest to him and disappeared from her view.

Somehow, the thought of Friday morning had her smiling wider than anything else had all week.

And it was all thanks to a guy whose name she still didn't know.

* * *

 **Thanks for the wonderful response to chapter 1 and for reading.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ready for your first clue?**

* * *

Friday morning saw Emma stood inside of her bedroom, trying to decide what she wanted to wear to work that day. She told herself that she was being silly for wanting to make an effort for a man whose name she still didn't know. A man that she would only see for a handful of minutes, first thing in the day. But that didn't stop her from pulling out a pair of jeans that she knew made her arse look fantastic, and a top that gave just enough of a teasing peek at her cleavage, but still remained professional enough for a day at work. She put a little more effort into her hair and makeup too. Not enough for it to be overly noticeable, but just enough that she felt great when she finally left her flat that morning.

She might also have left home a little earlier than she usually did, in the hopes that she would run into him once more, on her way to the station. But unfortunately, Emma was left alone with her thoughts for the entire walk there.

Her mood soured further when she finally made it onto the now-familiar platform, to find that she was one of only three people waiting on it. Her mystery Irish man wasn't anywhere in sight.

She wanted to kick herself for getting her hopes up. He hadn't even told her his name. The guy was probably playing with her. Just having a little fun to break up the monotony of his morning routine. He couldn't possibly spend as much time thinking about her, as she did about him.

Emma pulled out her tablet to keep herself busy, as she dropped down onto the only bench on the platform. Her train wouldn't arrive for another twelve minutes, so she decided to finish off the research she had been doing the night before, for the story she was currently working on.

"Huh. I never took you for the sort of woman to be interested in planning permission laws," came a familiar accented voice to her left.

Emma had been so lost in her research that she hadn't noticed how busy the platform was becoming. Or the person who had taken a seat beside her.

"It's for work," she told him, locking the device to stuff it back into her bag. "Isn't it a little rude to read someone else's screen over their shoulder?"

"If it was anything private you wouldn't have it open on your lap at a busy station," he countered. "Now… tell me more about what you do that involves planning permission. You don't work for the council, do you?"

"No," she giggled, at the slight look of worry that had crept into his eyes. "Technically my job doesn't involve planning permission at all."

"Okay, now you definitely have me intrigued."

"I'm a reporter for the Mercury," she whispered softly.

"The paper? Do people still buy and read newspapers?"

Emma reached out a gentle hand to slap at his chest playfully, and then bit down on her tongue to stop the groan that wanted to escape her lips at how firm he was. He was hiding plenty under that damned leather jacket that he was wearing again.

"Yes, people still buy and read papers. But we move with the advances in technology too. I assume you've heard of the internet and social media. We provide content for both of those platforms too."

Emma's mystery man gave a slight chuckle at her passionate defense of her career, before assuring her, "I know. I follow you on Facebook. Or at least, your company. I'm not following _you_ on Facebook. That would be a little too stalkery, considering I don't even know your name."

"You know, you could solve that issue by asking for it," she teased.

"Aye. I could. And you could ask me for mine. But you haven't done that yet." It was a challenge and Emma could feel it. He wanted to see which one of them would crack first, and she stubbornly didn't want it to be her. Even though she desperately wanted a name to call him by, other than 'Mystery Man.'

"Maybe you'll slip up next week and tell me then?"

He cocked his head to one side to study her, and the intensity behind his eyes made Emma fidget a little. She wasn't sure what he was hoping to find, but he relaxed a little more when he clearly found whatever it was that he was looking for.

"You really don't know who I am."

Emma wasn't sure if it was a statement or a question, but she felt compelled to answer it either way. "I kinda feel like I've seen your face somewhere before. But I can't place it. You've never been to Sheffield, have you?"

"I spend a couple of weeks there at the end of April every year," he told her, his eyes dancing with a humour she didn't quite understand.

"That's probably it then. Maybe we've run into each other in the city before?"

"Maybe," he agreed, but everything about the look on his face was saying that they had definitely never run into each other before. And Emma couldn't help but agree with him. She was certain that she'd never have forgotten meeting someone as beautiful as he was, even if he was infuriatingly annoying with his half-answers.

"So, we spoke about what I do for a living. What about you? What do you do?" she asked, hoping for at least some kind of information about the man sat beside her.

Emma was a little ashamed to admit that he was probably the only friend she had made since she had moved to the area. And she didn't even know his name. All she knew about him was that he was definitely firmer than he looked, and his arms held bright, colourful displays of artwork.

"Nothing important," he dismissed easily.

"Seriously?" she asked, her anger rising a little at how unreasonable his answer was. He expected her to answer all of his questions, but was refusing to answer her own. "You're gonna tell me _nothing_ about yourself? What the hell kind of friendship is this?"

The noise of the approaching train only served to fuel her anger, as the people around them began to move. They were busy gathering at the places where they knew the doors would be opening, and creating more noise as they did.

Emma made a move to stand herself, but was startled when she felt a slight tug on her arm, that pulled her back into a firm, warm body. "I'm not trying to piss you off," he told her, his voice soft in her ear as his breath tickled the hairs on her neck. "I like you, Swan, if that wasn't already obvious. And you wouldn't believe how many women have decided my chosen career is laughable. I don't want you to laugh at me too."

Emma turned around to look at him, her face a mask of pure surprise at what he'd just revealed to her. She couldn't imagine any woman laughing at this beautiful man in front of her. And the ones who had, clearly weren't worthy of his time or attention.

"Are you two boarding?" a conductor asked, startling them both out of their trance to find the platform around them empty, and the train in front of them busy with people finding and taking their seats.

"Um, yeah," Emma mumbled, as she gathered up her bag to head for the nearest open door. Her mystery man followed her on, but when she turned right to head down to a free seat in the carriage, he made to turn left.

"Hey Swan," he called over his shoulder, as a loud whistle rang out around them, and the mechanical hiss of the doors closing signaled their imminent departure. "Those jeans make your arse look fantastic."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	4. Chapter 4

Emma contemplated a walk to the train station Saturday morning to see if her mystery man would be there. But in the end, the pile of research she had waiting for her won out over her desire to walk the streets of the town, in the hopes that she might bump into him. Instead, she spent her day in the most comfortable pair of pyjamas she owned, as she worked through details of the planning permission required to build the new shopping centre in town, and the controversy it had caused amongst local residents.

The urge returned again on Sunday morning, telling Emma that a walk along the canal wouldn't be such a bad thing. So she packed up her laptop and did just that, stopping off at the pub at the top of the towpath for a drink and a spot of lunch, while she began building her article. Her mystery man was nowhere to be seen, but Emma found herself enjoying the warm day she spent outside, watching the ducks play.

Monday morning Emma found herself running a little late, and quite literally running to make her train before the doors closed. When she finally dropped down into a set of free seats, she was kicking herself internally for missing out on the opportunity to speak with _him_ once more.

"Running in those heels. Pretty impressive, Swan."

Emma smiled smugly to herself as she turned to her left, and found him sprawled across the set of seats just across the aisle. He looked like some kind of bad-boy model, advertising the designer jeans that were stretched tightly across his thighs.

"You'd be amazed at what I can do," she teased. "I can see now why you always opt for a different carriage to me, though. You're so unsociable."

"I don't like sharing my space on a train," he chuckled, pulling himself up into a sitting position. "But I could be persuaded to change that stance for the right person."

"I dunno. I have this strict policy about not sharing my space on a train with people whose names I don't know," she threw back at him.

Her mystery man looked up and down the aisle of the carriage once, before sliding into the seat across from her own, putting the table between the two of them. "Killian," he told her. "My name's Killian."

"Killian," she repeated, testing out the word. It suited him, Emma decided. It wasn't quite as common as names like Mark and John, but also not as unusual as names like Apple or North. "It's nice to meet you, Killian. I'm Emma."

He nodded his head at her as he sank back into his seat, clearly relieved that his name met her approval. A comfortable silence settled over the two of them for a moment, before Killian eventually asked, "So, what caused the running this morning?"

"Ugh, my stupid boiler," Emma sighed. "I think it needs replacing, but after putting down the deposit on my flat, I really don't have the money to do that. I'll have to call an engineer out and see if they can fix it for me until then."

"I could um… I could have a look at it for you?" he suggested, scratching awkwardly behind his ear as he stared out of the window. "I um… I did some work with a gas engineer a few years back."

Emma thought the offer over for a moment. A small part of her was screaming that inviting a strange man back to her home wasn't the best plan of action, given how isolated she currently was in town. But a much larger part of her was yelling that Killian could be trusted.

"That would be nice. Thank you."

When he turned back to face her his usual cocky smile had been replaced with a more genuine and much softer one. "Okay. Um, when works best for you?"

"After work? Or, if you're busy, maybe on the weekend?" Emma still wasn't sure what the guy did for a living, but she was starting to suspect it involved him being in the city every couple of days.

"Are you free tonight? I could stop by when I get back to town?"

"That would be perfect," Emma agreed.

For a long minute, the two of them just sat and smiled at each other goofily as the towns flew by on their way in to the city. Emma could already tell that so much had changed between the two of them that morning, and she imagined that Killian felt the same way.

As the tinny voice came through the overhead speakers, announcing their arrival into the station, Killian startled a little before pulling out his phone. "You um… you might wanna put your number in there," he told her. "I'll need your address. I'm not psychic."

"Damn," Emma teased, as she took the small device from him. "Psychics really make me hot and bothered."

"And here was me thinking it was the way _my_ arse looked in _these_ jeans that did it for you." He raised a brow at Emma in question and her face flamed bright red at having been caught staring at him earlier that morning. "Don't worry, Swan. Your secret's safe with me."

He hit dial on her number and allowed the call to ring once, before ending it and sliding the device back into his pocket. The train rocked to a stop seconds later with the doors hissing open just after that.

Killian waited until Emma had stood, and gestured for her to leave first, before he followed close behind her. "Do you have time for a coffee before work?" he asked, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels.

"Do you?" she countered.

"I work for myself. I have as much time as you do."

"I could squeeze one in," she chuckled. "I've been dying for my usual coffee fix since I woke up this morning."

Killian laughed loudly as he gestured towards the small coffee shop that stood in the middle of the two platforms they were on. "After you, Swan."

* * *

 **I've had a few messages so far from people who have guessed Killian's career. I promise if you guess and it's wrong, I'll say so. But I won't confirm publicly what he does until he's ready to tell Emma.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **Special thanks to Alexa, Luna, Talz and the other guest reviewers. I'm sorry I can't reply to you in person.**


	5. Chapter 5

"So, you work for yourself, huh?" Emma asked, as they took a seat in the small coffee shop. Considering its location, and the time of the day, she was surprised by how empty it was.

"Yeah. Kinda," he chuckled. "It's a… um… it's a long story."

"And one you're ashamed of?"

"I'm not ashamed of it," Killian admitted fiercely. "I'm actually quite proud of myself for what I've managed to accomplish. But… I like you, Emma Swan. And I'm just not yet ready to have you laugh in my face when I tell you what my passion in life is."

"People have actually done that to you?" she asked, a little horrified that someone could be so insensitive.

"Only once. But I've told a few others in the past about what I do, only to have them tell me the following day that, 'we're just not right for each other, you know?'" Killian raised his voice to imitate a woman's, and Emma's heart hurt a little for the beautiful man sat opposite her. Nobody should ever feel like they needed to hide their passions in life, just because other people didn't understand them. "And let's face it, twice is a coincidence. Four times becomes a pattern."

"Okay," she agreed. "I can wait until you're ready to tell me. But just so you know… I'm not sleeping with you until you do. You could be some kind of drug dealer for all I know."

Killian laughed loudly, swinging back in his chair as he did, drawing the attention of the few people in the room over to their table. "Wow. Getting a little ahead of yourself there, aren't you Swan? It's just coffee."

"Oh please," she scoffed, even as her face flamed bright red with embarrassment. "Are you honestly telling me that you didn't see things going that way? I mean, I assume that's why we keep bumping into each other."

He nodded his head in agreement, but the smirk never left his face. "Well… I was assuming there would be some _actual_ dates involved before we got to that stage of our relationship."

"You know what to do to make that happen."

It was another challenge, and they both knew it. Emma just wondered how long it would take him to rise to it this time.

The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a moment, finishing their drinks before she finally looked up to the small clock on the wall, ticking ever closer to the time she needed to be in the office. She didn't want to leave just yet. Emma felt like she'd learned more about Killian that morning than she had since they'd first run into each other.

But she also didn't want to lose her job.

"Do you wanna have dinner with me sometime?" he finally asked, startling her attention back to his face. That usual cocky smirk had been replaced with a shy smile, and Emma's heart warmed a little at the sight of it. She didn't know much about Killian. Hell, she didn't even know his surname. But she somehow knew that there weren't very many people lucky enough to have been on the receiving end of that smile.

"I'd love to," she assured him. "But… unlike you, I don't work for myself, and I really have to get to the office. Sorry."

"Don't be," he chuckled. "You love what you do, right?"

"Yeah. I do."

It had taken Emma a long time to decide what she had wanted to do with her life, when she had left school. She'd gone to university to study English because it had been her favourite subject in high school. But when she'd graduated, she'd had no idea what to use her degree for. So she'd taken some time for herself, during which she had enrolled in a few internships, in the hopes of finding her true calling in life. Emma hadn't expected to find her passion working for a small newspaper in her local town. But once she had, she'd quickly secured herself a place on a journalism postgraduate course, which only helped to cement her love for the profession.

"Then definitely don't be sorry for that," Killian assured her. "I'll see you later this evening."

"This evening?" Emma asked, a little startled by how soon he wanted to arrange their dinner date. She didn't have anything to wear for it, and there was absolutely no way she'd find the time to shop on her lunchbreak.

"To help with your boiler?" he reminded her gently. "Unless, of course, you'd like to arrange a date for tonight?"

Emma laughed to herself as she brought a hand up to run through her hair. "Sorry. We made those plans before I had coffee, and I don't tend to function well without one," she chuckled. "I have a deadline to meet for work, so a date tonight wouldn't help with that. But I'm gonna be free this weekend, if you wanted to do it then?"

"I could probably be persuaded to push some stuff around to make that work," he assured her, with that cocky smirk back in place once more. Emma got the feeling that even if he did have plans for the weekend, they would be rearranged by the time she sat down at her desk that morning.

The muffled sound of the next arrival at the station made its way through the coffee shop, and Emma cursed a little as she realised that she was pushing her luck with regards to the time. She was going to have to take a taxi to make sure she was at least in the building before nine.

She stood to say her goodbyes, and watched as Killian did the same thing. So much about their relationship had changed in such a small period of time, that they both looked a little uncertain about how to proceed. In the end, Emma leaned forward to close the distance between the two of them, and lightly brushed her lips to his cheek.

"See you tonight," she whispered, before turning around to leave the shop.

It took everything she had inside of her not to look over her shoulder as she walked out of the door.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	6. Chapter 6

Emma was a mess that evening as she waited for the knock on her front door.

She'd sent Killian all of her details on her lunch break that day, and he had offered to stop by at around seven, when he was finished with his own business. But as the clock ticked ever closer to the hour, her nerves began to kick in. She was absolutely certain that he was someone she could trust. But after their shared coffee date that morning, she wasn't sure if their encounter that evening was supposed to remain strictly business, or if she should be mixing in some pleasure.

When the buzzer sounded for the building Emma jumped in her seat, sloshing red wine all over the white shirt she'd been wearing.

"Fuck," she cursed, standing up to blot at the mess with a tissue, even though she knew she'd probably just ruined the entire thing.

The buzzer sounded once more, and she looked between the phone on the wall that would allow her to unlock the front door for Killian, and the mess on her shirt, before finally getting up to answer it.

"Yes?" she asked politely.

"Did you forget about me already, Swan?" he teased. Emma could practical hear the way he was licking at his teeth through the line. "I'm wounded."

"I spilled some wine," she explained. "I'll buzz you through. My door's unlocked so just come straight in. I need to change and see if I can salvage this top." She pressed the buzzer and hung up the phone before Killian could say anything else.

It didn't take long for Emma to hear the tell-tale sound of footsteps on the tiled floor outside, before there was a soft knock on her front door. Even with her bedroom door closed, being on the ground floor of an older building meant that Emma could often hear far more of what was happening outside than she would have liked.

"You know," Killian called out, as he made his way into the flat, "Inviting a man into your home and telling him you're changing probably isn't the wisest of ideas," he teased. "It might give some people the wrong impression."

"I'm sure it does," she chuckled, as she pulled open the door to her bedroom to see him standing awkwardly in her small hall. "But it was honestly just an accident." She held up her ruined shirt for him to see, before heading towards her kitchen. "Can I get you anything to drink at all?"

"Please. I'll have whatever you're having."

Emma had been planning to finish the rest of her bottle of wine, but she didn't want to seem unsociable. So instead, she reached into her fridge to withdraw two bottles of beer. "Is this okay?" she called back to him, over her shoulder.

"Perfect."

The two of them stood for a moment in awkward silence, sipping at their drinks as Emma questioned every decision she'd made since Killian had buzzed to be let into her flat.

 _Did giving him alcohol suddenly make this a date?_

 _Did she want it to be a date?_

"So, shall I get started?" he asked eventually. "Or was this all just a ploy to lure me here, get me drunk and have your wicked way with me?"

Emma giggled a little as she set her bottle down and gestured for him to leave the room. He was surprised when she pulled open the door immediately to her right, until he saw the monstrosity that was hiding behind it.

"Jesus Christ, this thing is older than I am."

"Does that mean you can't help?" she worried, already mentally calculating her budget to see if she could afford to have it replaced anytime soon.

"I can," he sighed, scratching behind his ear awkwardly. "But it's gonna take me a little longer than I thought it would."

"I'm sorry," Emma groaned. "I can get a professional in to do this. You shouldn't be spending your night working on my boiler after being at work all day."

"Hey, it's okay. I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to be." He took a small step closer to her, and out of the cupboard that the boiler was hidden inside of.

Emma swallowed hard as she stood her ground. That close, he was even more beautiful than she had first thought him to be. His eyes danced with the humour he carried inside of him at all times, and the scruff on his face was slightly ginger in the low lighting of her flat. She wanted to reach out and run her hands over it, to see if it would be soft or scratchy when it rubbed against her skin. And from the angle they were stood at, she could just make out the hair that she imagined would decorate most of his chest. Not too much to be off-putting, but just enough to let her know that he was _all man_ under those tight t-shirts and jeans he favoured.

"Swan?" he asked, when she had remained silent for a beat too long.

But Emma either didn't hear him or wasn't listening, as she continued her perusal of the enigma of a man before her. She'd never felt an attraction to someone like the one she did to him. It was like some kind of invisible force between the two of them, urging her closer and closer with every breath she took.

Until it all became too much to handle.

"Fuck it," she breathed out, before crashing her lips into his with enough force to send Killian into the wall behind him. Emma's brain was screaming at her to slow things down, to wait and see how he reacted before she took it too far. But the moment Killian's hand curled around her lower back to haul her in closer to his body, all conscious thoughts beyond kissing him fled.

"Bloody hell, Emma," Killian panted, as he pulled away to catch his breath. "What happened to not wanting to sleep with me until I told you what I did?"

"Kissing is not the same as sex," she told him, before pulling his lips back down to hers. Now that she'd had a taste of him, she couldn't seem to get enough.

"I can see your bedroom from here, Love. If you don't wanna end up naked in there in the next five minutes, you might wanna slow this down."

Emma pulled back reluctantly, smoothing a hand down her shirt as if it would help smooth her composure too. "Yeah," she rambled. "You're right. Sorry. I don't know what came over me."

"Don't be sorry," he chuckled, stroking the backs of his fingers along her jawline. "I've wanted to do that since the moment you first ran into me. But… I don't want you to do something that you might come to regret."

Emma tilted her head as she surveyed the man stood before her. He still looked so familiar and yet, she was drawing a complete blank as to why. But the instinct that was telling her that she already knew who he was, was also telling her that she could trust him.

Even if he wasn't quite ready to fully trust her yet.

"How about I order us a pizza to share, and you can get started on the boiler?" she suggested.

"Deal," Killian agreed, winking in her direction as he headed back to the front door, where he'd dropped his bag of tools.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	7. Chapter 7

Emma was pretty sure she was a little tipsy. On a Monday night. She couldn't remember _ever_ being tipsy on a Monday night before.

"Are you drunk, Swan?" Killian teased, as he set his third bottle of beer down onto her small coffee table, and turned in his seat to face her.

It took her a little longer than usual to reply, given the way that all of her attention was now focused on how he had stretched his arm along the back of the sofa, behind her shoulders. "Nope. I'm just having fun."

Killian looked like he wasn't quite buying what she was trying to sell, but he didn't push her any further. Instead, he allowed his fingers to lightly trace patterns into her shoulder blade, as Emma shifted her own position to face him.

"You know, I haven't really had anyone to talk to outside of work since I got here," she told him softly. "It's nice to just be able to enjoy some crappy television and pizza, with someone other than myself."

"Well… I don't live far from here, so we could always make this a more regular occurrence," Killian suggested. A part of him hated that Emma was feeling lonely, but he could understand the sentiment. While he had people in town that he called friends, those friends had families and lives of their own, which often meant that Killian didn't get the chance to spend as much time with them as he would have liked.

He definitely wanted to spend more time with Emma Swan, if she would allow him to.

"Oh, um… I forgot," he suddenly added. "I'm leaving town for a while, just before the weekend. I'll be gone for about twelve days in total." He cringed a little as he lifted his eyes to meet Emma's, hoping that she would understand that he hadn't been trying to deceive her. He'd simply forgotten about the engagement the moment she had stumbled into his life.

"Are you going anywhere nice?"

"China."

Emma's brows shot up to her hairline at his response. The way he'd made it sound, she thought he was traveling to another city for a few days. Not to another continent.

"It's for work," Killian added softly.

"Wow, you're just adding to the mystery with that one. What kind of work involves travelling to China?"

Killian sank back into his side of the sofa a little, but made sure to keep his attention fully focused on Emma. As much as he was worried about how she would react to his job, he _wanted_ her to know about it, because his career was such a huge part of his life.

And Killian wanted to share that with her.

So he decided to drop her a few little hints.

"The same kind of work that sent me to Germany at the beginning of the year, and then Romania a few weeks back. I've also travelled around the UK since then. I'm usually always travelling somewhere."

"So you're not home often?" she worried.

"Oh I am. I just travel a lot for events."

"Events?" she asked, her face lighting up at the small hint she'd managed to squeeze out of him. "You work in the entertainment industry?"

Killian shrugged a little before reaching out once more to tease the tips of her hair with his fingers. "I guess you could say that."

"Do you sing?"

"God no," he chuckled. "Not even in the shower."

"That's a shame," Emma pouted. "You have the rock star look nailed. Do you act?"

"Nope. At least, not in the sense that I get paid for it."

"Huh." Emma shifted back into her own seat, and the warmth of Killian's touch, as she allowed his clues to swirl through her mind. Working in the entertainment industry would certainly explain why his features were so familiar to her. But if he wasn't involved in music or acting, she was struggling to work out where she could have seen him before. "Behind the scenes or in front of a camera?"

"A little of both," he answered, completely unhelpfully.

"Ugh. You're not making this easy for me."

"I never said I would," he chuckled. "But you do look adorable when you're confused. Your nose crinkles up and your brows draw together. It's a good look for you."

Emma reached over to land a solid slap to his chest at his teasing, but she didn't fight him when he pulled her back into his arms.

"I know I'm being infuriating right now, but I've dated women before who said they had feelings for me, and then never wanted to see me again when they found out what I do. Apparently, it's embarrassing for them. And on the flip side, I've been with women who have only gotten involved with me because of the money I earn. They pretend to care about me and my interests, but they quickly show their true intentions when I ask them to share those interests with me. I just… just give me a couple of weeks, Emma. A couple of weeks for us to explore this… _thing_ between the two of us, so that I know you're here for me. For the right reasons. And then I promise, I'll explain everything to you."

"I can do that," she assured him. "I don't mind waiting. I mean… let's be honest, the only thing right now that's probably gonna put me off pursing this chemistry we seem to share, is if you told me you were a serial killer, or something equally insane."

Killian laughed as he pressed a soft kiss to her lips. It was just light enough for it not to be overly flirty, but lasted just long enough to tell Emma how much he wanted her.

How much he wanted _them._

"Well, for what it's worth, I can assure you that I make my living in an incredibly legal manner, and have never killed anything other than plants before."

"Damn. There goes my plan to suggest I'd water your plants for you while you were away," she sighed, a little too overly-dramatic for it to have been real.

"I'd buy one just for you to water for me, if that makes you happy, Love."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	8. Chapter 8

Tuesday passed by slowly for Emma. Killian wasn't waiting for her at the station, which she'd been expecting, but he did send her plenty of messages throughout the day, that made things a little easier.

Wednesday morning she woke much earlier than she usually did, excited to see him once again. The messages they had exchanged since their impromptu date Monday night hadn't suggested that either one of them had changed their minds about exploring the connection between the two of them. So Emma was eager to see what their usual platform rendezvous would bring.

As the morning was already beginning to warm, she picked a red sundress for the day, pairing it with some gold flats and a cream cardigan. Killian had yet to see her in a dress, and although it wasn't the fanciest one she owned, she hoped it would be enough to wow him when he arrived at the station.

After applying her makeup and pulling her hair back, Emma grabbed her sunglasses from her dresser, and her bag from the hook by the front door, before slipping out of the flat.

"Hmm, you're earlier than I thought you'd be."

She jumped a little at the sound of the voice to her left, and lifted her shades to glare in Killian's direction as she did. He was lounging against the wall of her building, wearing a pair of light coloured jeans, artfully ripped at the knees, and a sinfully-tight, grey t-shirt that revealed a tantalising peek of his chest hair, and all of that colourful artwork along his arms.

"I like the dress, Swan. Is that for me?"

"Jesus Christ. You scared the crap out of me," she scolded, ignoring his question. While Emma might have chosen the dress to impress him, she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of letting him know that. His ego was already big enough. "What the hell are you doing here?" she asked instead.

"I thought that maybe you'd like to accompany me to the station this morning?" he explained.

"And just how long have you been waiting for me?"

"Only a few minutes." Killian shrugged his shoulders to suggest it was no big deal, but Emma had a feeling that he'd probably been waiting for her longer than he was letting on.

"Why didn't you just call or text me? Surely that would have been easier," she chuckled, inclining her head to suggest that they should start walking.

"Easier, yes. But it would have taken all of the fun out of surprising you." He winked cheekily in her direction, before sliding his own dark glasses out of the top of his shirt, to slip them onto his face. "So, how's the story going?"

"I finished it yesterday." Emma was rather proud of it too. It was her first piece for the Mercury, and she couldn't wait to see how the reader's reacted to it. While it certainly wasn't a front-page worthy story, Emma knew that if she could build a good and stable reputation with the paper, her editor would soon allow her to work on bigger pieces. "It's with my editor now and should be published on Friday, if he's happy with everything."

"Friday?" Killian asked, his face falling a little in disappointment. "Damn. I won't be here to celebrate my girlfriend's first officially published piece."

Emma's mind blanked for a moment at Killian's use of the term girlfriend. She hadn't thought of them as being in that place in their relationship just yet. Not that she was opposed to being labelled as his girlfriend. In fact, the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea of it.

But when she opened her mouth to voice those opinions, what came out instead was, "It's not my first published piece."

"Threw you a little with the whole girlfriend thing, didn't I?" he teased, gently nudging her shoulder with his own.

"No. I just um… I didn't realise we were labelling this… _thing_ between us," she lied.

"Okay. That's fine. I'll just refer to you as the other half of _my thing_ from now on, shall I?"

"Ha ha," she deadpanned. "I'm fine with being your girlfriend, I just wasn't sure if we were at that stage, you know? Most guys don't like to label a relationship this early."

"Well, I'm not most guys," Killian countered. "And those guys are idiots."

Emma couldn't complain about that. Her past dating history was a collective pile of crap. And from what little she knew about Killian, his didn't sound much better.

"So, when do you leave for China?" she asked, as they turned onto the familiar road that led down to the station.

"My flight's on Thursday morning," he told her, a little despondently.

"You don't sound terribly happy about that. I thought you enjoyed your job?"

"Oh, I do," he assured her. "I'm looking forward to that part of the trip. Not so much looking forward to spending time away from you, though. You might forget me," he teased gently.

"Of course. Because there are so many heavily tattooed Irish men in my life right now. How will I ever keep track of you all?"

"Well, I'm the devilishly handsome one of course." He raised his brows at her in that playful manner he'd perfected, as he pulled out his pass to swipe it over the gate to the platform. Emma had been so caught up with their conversation that she hadn't realised the usually short walk had taken even less time than it normally did.

"Will you get a chance to see any of the sights while you're there?" she asked, as she fumbled in her purse for her own pass, and quickly followed Killian out onto platform one.

"Not much. The tournament keeps us pretty busy," he called back over his shoulder. "Did you wanna stop and grab a drink?"

"I'm good thanks," she assured him. "I'd much rather talk about that _massive_ hint you just gave me there."

Killian groaned a little as he watched her face light up with her excitement. He truly hadn't intended to let that one slip, but talking to Emma always came so easily, that he often found himself dropping his guard around her.

"So, what do you do that involves tournaments? Is your job something sports related?" she asked.

"Yes," he sighed. "But a lot of people don't consider it to be a real sport."

"Huh."

That addition left Emma stumped. She had been about to start suggesting all kinds of sports that he could be a part of, but if others didn't consider it a real sport, then she would need to change her tactics.

"Are you're a sports journalist?" she eventually inquired, when they were starting the climb back down the stairs onto their platform.

"Nope."

* * *

 **Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for a Starbucks trip with Ava in April 2013.**


	9. Chapter 9

"Sorry I'm late. I was in a meeting that over-ran," Emma explained, as she slipped into the seat opposite Killian's. He'd picked a small café for the two of them to meet at. With him leaving for China the following day, he'd asked if Emma would be prepared to join him for lunch that afternoon, and she knew that there was no way she'd be able to refuse that offer.

"It's okay," he reassured her. "I haven't been here long."

Emma suspected that was a small fib, but she didn't press the issue. With him scheduled to be gone for as long as he was planning to be, she didn't want their last day together to end with an argument. So instead, she turned her attention to the menus sat in front of them.

"Have you eaten here before?" she asked, as she scanned through it. While she'd found a few places to eat since moving to the city, Emma had stuck to the bigger chain restaurants, knowing that she could trust them to provide something she would enjoy. The small café Killian had picked was one she'd passed by often, but never thought to step inside of before.

"A few times," he replied distractedly. "They do wonderful burgers here." Killian replaced his own menu with a flourish, and Emma smiled as she did the same. If her date was wowed by their burgers, she'd be giving them a try that afternoon.

"So, how's work been?" she asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement at the thought of pulling more information from him before he left.

Killian chuckled at her obviousness, as he reached across the table to run his index finger softly over the back of her hand. "Most of it was just making sure we were prepared for this weekend. Nothing too exciting."

"We? You work as part of a team?"

"Actually… I work solo," he told her honestly. "But travelling solo can get a little boring at times. So I've made friends who hold the same interests as I do. And they help to make sure that I don't forget anything important, like my passport, before I leave."

Emma snorted a little at Killian's addendum, but didn't have time to ask him to explain it, as they were interrupted by a waitress who had come to take their orders. She watched as her date exchanged pleasantries with the young woman, who clearly seemed to know who he was, before he directed her attention over to Emma, for her to place her order.

"So you _do_ come here often," she teased, as she watched the other woman make her way back to the kitchen with their requests in hand.

Killian shrugged unapologetically, before he leaned in a little closer, like he was intending to share some big secret with her. "I don't cook," he whispered across the table, as Emma snorted out another laugh from the opposite side. "I hope you won't hold that against me."

"I'm not much of a cook either," she chuckled. "Maybe we should consider some couples cooking lessons when you get back from China?"

"Why Swan, are you suggesting you'd like another date?" he teased, enjoying watching the blush that quickly covered her chest and face at the tone of his voice.

"Only if this one goes well," she countered.

* * *

Emma had to admit that Killian had been right about the burgers. The chicken fillet she had ordered was cooked to perfection, and the portion of sweet potato fries they shared were some of the best she'd ever tasted.

But all too soon she realised that their time together was once again at an end, and this time, it would be much longer until she got to see her mystery man again.

"Would you like me to walk you back to work?" he asked, as they slipped out of the café and onto the busy street outside.

Emma considered Killian's offer for a moment. A part of her wanted nothing more than to take him up on it, and drag out those precious few moments they had left together. But Emma also knew that she worked on a business estate outside of the city centre, and that given how they separated in the mornings, it would be well out of Killian's way to do so.

"It's okay," she assured him. "I can take a taxi back. There's no point going out of your way just for me."

"Are you sure? I don't mind."

Emma had no doubts that if she'd told Killian that she wanted him to escort her back, he would. But he'd already gone out of his way to spend time with her that afternoon. And if he was anything like her, she knew he probably still had plenty to do before he left for the airport. She didn't want to be the reason he ended up boarding his flight feeling unprepared.

"I'm sure. Go take care of all your last-minute prep," she told him. "And make sure you message me before you leave and when you land. I don't need to be up all night worrying that you've died somewhere over the Pacific."

"Duly noted," he chuckled, taking a step closer to her to link their fingers together. "Do you want me to bring you anything back?"

"Surprise me," she suggested, tugging gently on his hands to bring him in closer, so she could brush their lips together softly. Emma knew this would be their parting kiss. But she was also painfully aware that they were in the middle of the city centre, so she didn't want to cross over into obscene territory. The last thing either of them needed at that moment was to spend the night in a holding cell.

"Stay safe, Killian. I'm looking forward to a proper date with you when you get home."

"I will do," he chuckled. "Enjoy the rest of your day at work, Emma."

She leaned forward to press one final kiss to his lips, lingering a little longer than was strictly acceptable for a public display of affection, before she finally pulled away.

It was just as she was turning to leave that it happened.

Someone she didn't know was headed down the street in their direction, and happened to call out, "Good luck next week, Killian," as he passed by the two of them, clapping the Irish man on his shoulder.

"Friend?" she teased gently.

"Not at all," he chuckled heartily.

Killian figured he might as well leave Emma with a little more mystery to ponder over while he was gone. At least that way, she was unlikely to forget about him.

* * *

 **It was brought to my attention during edits for this one that some of you guys outside of the UK may not know what a chicken fillet burger is. I guess you might call them chicken sandwiches? It's basically a chicken breast fillet that's flattened out, seasoned and grilled, before being layered on a bun with salad and dressing.**

 **For those of you who don't follow me on Tumblr, this story is now written entirely and has been through the first round of edits. Which means that I can confidently state there will be 30 chapters in total.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	10. Chapter 10

True to his word, Killian had messaged Emma when his flight landed in Beijing. The ten-hour journey had seen him arriving at four thirty _am_ UK time _._ Emma had wanted to pretend that she was sleeping, and that she hadn't spent the best part of her evening wide awake, with her brain helpfully supplying images of every disaster movie she had ever seen, that involved downed flights. Until the moment her phone finally lit up with his name. She fired back a relieved message telling Killian to have a great day, before finally settling down to grab as much sleep as she possibly could before work.

Even the weather seemed to be missing his bright persona when she woke later that morning. Gone were the early signs of summer, and in their place was heavy rain and harsh winds, which left Emma feeling soaked to the bone by the time she made it onto the platform.

Her usual journey into work was far more subdued than it had ever been before. Without the promise of that beautiful accent and those colorful tattoos to look forward to, Emma found herself simply staring out of the windows as the small towns flew past them, on her way into the city.

Thankfully, when she arrived at the office it was to the buzz surrounding a potential scandal that had been leaked involving the city mayor. Emma soon found herself swept up in the excitement of the news, as she helped to prepare the research needed for her colleagues to run with the story.

But as the week progressed, her mood began to sour further.

Due to the time difference between Britain and China, she was struggling to find time to actually speak with Killian. The country he was visiting was eight hours ahead of their own, which meant that by the time Emma woke up to start her day, Killian was already busy with his own, doing whatever it was that he needed to do out there. During those rare moments where he had some downtime, Emma was normally busy at work, and unable to take his calls. Sending him to voicemail so often was one of the most painful things she'd ever done. But she _really_ loved her job, so she wasn't willing to risk doing anything that would see her losing it.

Fortunately, what they lacked in verbal communication they most definitely made up for in written forms. Killian had taken to sending Emma messages about his days, most of which included pictures of himself, taken at various different locations in Beijing. He looked like he was having a truly wonderful time, so Emma couldn't find it in herself to be _too_ upset that he was gone for so long.

* * *

It was half-way through their first week apart when Emma found herself sat at work with very little to do. She'd brought lunch with her for the day, wanting to get ahead with the story she had been working on. But her desire to finish it before the weekend had seen her overachieving, and she had submitted the piece to her editor twenty minutes before her lunch hour.

Which left Emma twiddling her thumbs throughout her break.

She wasn't really sure where the urge came from, but with nothing better to do, she suddenly found herself loading Google, hoping it could help her solve the enigma of the man she was so hung up on.

Until that point in time, she'd promised herself that she wouldn't try and research her new boyfriend. Killian had made it clear that he intended to share all of his secrets with her in due time, and Emma had been happy to wait until he was ready to do so. But with the distance between the two of them, and the mystery constantly at the front of her mind, her journalistic instincts were roaring to life, urging her to find out what she could about him.

The pasta salad went untouched for the rest of her break as Emma tried Googling various combinations of _Killian, China_ and the date _._ She scrolled through result after result that listed different events happening in the country during the time Killian was visiting, and certain news articles that had been published with a few of her key terms.

But absolutely nothing in her results stood out as being a possibility for Killian's career. The closest she came to anything promising was a result for the Chinese Grand Prix. But Emma could find absolutely no record of there ever being a Formula 1 driver by the name of Killian.

By the time she left work that evening, with only a handful of messages exchanged between herself and her boyfriend, Emma was feeling grumpy and frustrated. She had never expected to connect to someone as quickly as she had to the mysterious Irish man.

So she certainly hadn't expected to miss him as much as she was.

* * *

As the week drew to a close, Emma found her spirits lifting once more. Whatever Killian was doing seemed to be going well, if the tone behind his messages was anything to judge by. But much like herself, he'd taken to counting down the days until he would see her again.

When she woke on Monday morning, it was with the knowledge that Killian wouldn't be waiting for her on the platform when she got there. But there was already a cute message from her boyfriend waiting on her phone.

He had clearly taken the image when he'd first woken up, as he was completely shirtless and stretched across the usual cream bedding of the hotel. It was the first time Emma had seen his bare chest, and she was surprised by the lack of tattoos that decorated it. Given the art that covered his arms, she had been expecting more of the same on the rest of his body.

But instead of colourful tattoos, Killian's chest was peppered with dark hair, and three words that he had somehow managed to write on himself.

 **Two More Days!**

Emma chuckled to herself as she saved the image to her device, before firing back a quick message of her own. While she wasn't ready to start sending him topless photos, she thought that the hastily scribbled, _I can't wait,_ written in bold red lipstick on her full-length mirror, worked pretty well with the picture she'd taken of herself, wrapped up in her pink, silk dressing gown after she'd climbed out of the shower.

Killian definitely seemed to agree with that, as he replied much faster than he had all week, with a simple message that had Emma's heart bursting at the seams.

 **My God you're stunning.**

 **I miss you, Swan.**

* * *

 **As a quick note, I've Googled the name of the person Killian is based on in this story, China and the date this is set to see if it brings up an actual result for what Killian's job is, and Emma's results are exactly what I got.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	11. Chapter 11

Even though Emma wasn't expecting to see Killian Tuesday morning, she left her flat for work with a slight bounce to her step. He had messaged her when his flight had landed on Monday afternoon, and then throughout the day as he navigated the trains back home. He'd even suggested stopping by her place, so that the two of them could see each other sooner than they had originally planned. But his messages had gotten shorter and shorter as the day had gone on, and Emma knew that was a sure sign her boyfriend was losing his battle to jetlag.

So they agreed to meet at their usual time and place Wednesday morning.

Knowing that her man was back in the country had Emma on cloud nine all day, until her editor called her in for an impromptu meeting just before lunch.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, as she poked her head around the open door of Sidney Glass's office.

"Yes, Emma. Do come in," he invited warmly, pushing aside the folder full of paper he'd been flicking through.

Sidney's door had never been closed during the time that Emma had worked at the paper, so she hesitated for a moment, torn over what to do, before she finally decided to leave it open and take a seat. She assumed that if Sidney had something bad to say, he'd opt to close it and give them some privacy himself.

"I was wondering if you'd given any thought to an area of specialty yet?" he asked softly.

Emma almost wanted to laugh at the relief she felt coursing through her body. Of course he hadn't called her in to see him just to berate her. Sidney had done nothing but praise Emma's work since she had arrived in the city. She was sure he would have said something already, if she was doing anything wrong.

"I haven't," she replied honestly. She'd spent so much time since she had arrived in the city trying to settle into the flow of a new office, and throwing the rest of her focus into giving her short pieces her full attention. When combined with the mysterious Irish man who had caught her attention outside of work, Emma hadn't really had the time to think about an area in which to target her journalism.

"I think it's something you should give some thought to," Sidney told her. "You're an intelligent young woman, which clearly shows in the pieces you produce. But we've found most people tend to work even better when they find their place within the publication. Be it politics, general affairs, weather, or even sport. I'm not saying you need to pick anything right now. But I'd like to start giving you some experience outside of your comfort zone. That way, you can see where your true passions lie."

Emma wasn't overly keen on the idea of exploring subjects such as sports and weather in her articles. But she would gladly agree to the rotation Sidney was suggesting, if he believed it would help to broaden her journalistic outlook. After all, the man was a local legend for his work at the Mercury. So it wasn't like he didn't know what he was talking about.

"Of course, Sidney," she agreed. "I'm happy to do whatever you think is best. I'm here to learn from you."

"I'll have a word with the team this week and then we'll start switching things up after you've turned in your next piece for publication."

Emma nodded her agreement as she rose from her seat. She knew her editor was a busy man, and if that was all he had wanted to say, she didn't want to keep him from his work.

"Thanks for your advice, Sidney."

* * *

By the time Emma flicked off her computer that evening and gathered up her stuff to leave, she was exhausted. She had wanted to finish off her next piece before seeing Killian again. And while she wasn't quite ready to submit her article about Ofsted reports for schools in the local area, she had managed to achieve more than she thought she would that day.

As she left the office she pulled out her phone to check the train times, as she normally did. Her usual journey was delayed by twenty minutes, which would just give her enough time to grab something to eat at the café in the station, before she needed to be on her platform.

"Have I been gone so long you've already forgotten me?" a familiar voice called out, startling her attention away from the small device in her hand.

"Killian?"

Emma whipped her head around to face the source of it, stuffing her phone away as she did. When her eyes finally settled on his form, lounging casually against the side of the building, a wide smile broke across her face.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, taking a few steps in his direction. "I thought we were meeting tomorrow?"

Killian shrugged his shoulders as he pushed away from the wall to make his way over to where she was still standing. "I couldn't wait any longer. I hope you don't mind me tracking you down."

"Not at all," she chuckled, taking that last step forward to close the gap between the two of them. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Swan," he sighed, gathering her into his arms for a kiss.

What started as soft and sweet quickly built in passion and intensity. Emma gave herself over to the feel of his lips against hers, moving confidently as he sucked gently on her bottom one, before sweeping his tongue into her mouth when she gasped slightly under his attention. As his kisses consumed her, she allowed her hands to roam over his body, taking in the muscles hidden beneath the leather of his jacket, and the slight brush of hair that tickled her thumbs as she ran them under the hem of his t-shirt, and along the line of his belt.

It was only when he pulled back panting slightly, and dropped his forehead down to rest against her own, that Emma realised their kiss had been the perfect metaphor for the way their relationship had developed.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	12. Chapter 12

"So, tell me about China," Emma asked excitedly, as she handed Killian a beer and dropped down next to him on the sofa. The two of them had considered going to grab some dinner together while they were in the city. But their inability to keep their hands off each other ultimately lead them to the decision that ordering in was probably the safest option for them.

"Oh, that reminds me," he chuckled, as he reached down for his bag, which was tucked under the small side table in the lounge. "I got you a few gifts." Killian pulled a large black box out from inside of it, and placed it down carefully in Emma's lap before he sank back into his seat. He looked a little nervous about her reaction to whatever it was he'd brought home for her, and Emma thought that was truly ridiculous. She would love whatever he'd gifted to her, for the simple fact that he'd thought of her enough to want to buy her something while he was away.

She pulled the golden ribbon on top to let it unravel before carefully lifting off the lid. When she peeled back the first layer of tissue paper inside, Emma gasped a little in surprise at what was hidden underneath it.

"It's um… it's from the Beijing opera," Killian explained carefully. "I've never been before, it always seems like the kinda thing you shouldn't go to alone. But I thought the masks were kind of cool. I have a few of my own."

"It's beautiful," she assured him. "I've never owned anything quite like this before. Thank you." Emma leaned forward to offer him a sweet kiss, but Killian pulled away before it could become anything else.

"There's um… there's more in the box," he explained, at the look of confusion on her face. "You can show me your gratitude when you've seen it all." He winked at her playfully and Emma dissolved into a flood of giggles at the action. He had this unique way of making her feel like a teenager experiencing love for the very first time, whenever he looked at her.

She carefully lifted out the mask and placed it down on the small table so that it wouldn't fall and break, before she began looking through the rest of her gifts. Killian had also included a few packages of different green teas, and some decorative chopsticks too. There was also a small peacock that had been made entirely from different types of knots, in the same colours as the mask that he'd gotten for her. And everything was sat on top of the most beautiful silk scarf she had ever seen.

"This is incredible," she praised. "You really didn't need to go to all of that trouble and expense for me."

"I wanted to," he assured her, as he leaned forward to tuck the hair that had fallen across her face behind her left ear. "I thought about you a lot while I was gone. So I picked up a little something when I wasn't busy, and you were on my mind."

Emma set the box of goodies carefully down on the floor as she slid a little closer to the man sat in the corner of her sofa. She'd dated plenty of guys in the past while she was at university, and after she had graduated. But none of her ex-boyfriends had ever been quite as sweet and thoughtful as Killian was.

What started as a soft brush of her lips to his, quickly built into more. Emma couldn't seem to stop her hands from tracing the hard lines of muscles in Killian's torso, as his own settled onto her hips, to pull her into his body a little more firmly. She wasn't sure when it happened, but one minute she was leaning into his touch, silently begging him for more as she used her tongue to trace the shape of his bottom lip. The next, she was straddling his lap, and pushing him back to a reclining position on her couch.

"Emma, we should stop," Killian protested weakly, as he slipped his hand under her shirt to explore the bare skin beneath it.

"I don't wanna," she mumbled back petulantly, laying kisses across his collarbone.

"Trust me, Love. This is incredibly painful for me to say." Killian pulled away a little to put some distance between the two of them. But he still couldn't seem to keep his hands off her. "I really don't want you to do something you're gonna regret."

"Then just tell me the damned secret," she shot back at him, sitting up so quickly that his hands fell from her waist. "Haven't I already shown you that it doesn't bother me? _Tell me,_ Killian."

"I want to," he assured her. "Trust me, the entire time I was in China all I wanted to do was message you about what was going on. I wanted to share my joy and happiness with _you_. Not with people who I barely knew, and that were probably secretly jealous of my accomplishments. Look… my next tournament begins in eleven days in Sheffield. Come with me? Come and see what I do. That way, we'll both know for sure if this is something you're still interested in when you know the full story."

Emma sat back against the sofa cushions as she folded her arms over her chest. She wasn't happy that he was essentially cockblocking them once more. But she could tell that whatever it was he was keeping from her meant a great deal to him. Enough for Killian to want to know that she was all in, before he revealed the truth. And she couldn't really bring herself to be angry at him for that.

"Okay," she agreed softly. "I'll come to Sheffield with you."

"Thank you." The smile that broke over his face was almost as blindingly beautiful as the dawn on a summer morning. Emma couldn't stop herself from returning it, even if she had tried.

"So, Sheffield is another big clue, huh?" she teased gently.

"You already knew about my time in Sheffield," Killian corrected.

"Yeah. But not that you were there so soon after the tournament in China. I have more information for a Google search now."

Killian snorted as he reached for his now-warm bottle of beer once more, and drained it dry.

* * *

 **Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

 **As ever, special thanks here go to Luna, Alexa, Laura Miller, Lexan and halfkender (feel free to always ramble at me. I love reading it) for their wonderful reviews.**


	13. Chapter 13

Emma wasn't surprised to find Killian lounging against her wall once more the following morning, when she left her building. It had only been a few hours since they'd parted ways, but he was rapidly becoming the best part of her days.

"So, how did that Google search go?" he asked, lacing their fingers together just as they turned out onto the canal towpath.

"It didn't," she snorted. "By the time I'd woken your lazy arse up and sent you home, I was knackered. I didn't even have time to finish off my latest piece for the Mercury."

Killian cringed a little at her words. He'd been so excited to see her when he'd returned from Beijing, he hadn't even stopped to think about the possibility of her being too busy for guests. "I'm sorry, Love. I didn't mean to keep you distracted all night. Your boss isn't gonna be too mad at you, is he?"

"Nah. It's being ran in Friday's issue so I should definitely get it in before then. I was just hoping to have it done sooner so I could spend a little more time with you," she admitted bashfully. "I mean, you did mention a date before you left the country."

"Have we not been on a date yet? Does coffee not count?"

"Everybody knows coffee doesn't count as a date," Emma snorted. "Who have you been dating?"

"Clearly the wrong people," he chuckled. "Then I shall aim to rectify my mistakes immediately. How does Saturday evening sound?"

"Perfect," she beamed up at him. "Do you have a certain location in mind? Because I might need to go shopping before then."

"Give me a chance, woman. I've just set the bloody date." He pulled her into his side as a teen on a bike decided to choose that moment to cycle past as fast as he could. Killian glared at the back of the speeding boy while Emma smothered her giggles into his shoulder.

"Well, let me know when you do. I wanna be prepared."

* * *

"Have you ever Googled me before?" Killian asked, as he spread himself out in the seat opposite hers, while they waited for the rest of the passengers to board their train.

"Only once," she admitted sheepishly. Emma wasn't proud of that moment of weakness she'd had the week before. She wanted Killian to know that she trusted him to reveal his occupation when he was ready to do so. And Googling him wasn't the way to show that.

But he looked surprisingly okay with her admission.

"Did you find anything?" he asked calmly, as he pulled a tangerine from his bag to begin peeling it.

"Nope." Emma still couldn't quite believe how empty her search had come up. Surely there weren't _that_ many guys in the world called Killian.

"Nothing at all? What keywords were you using for a search?" He held out the peeled and segmented fruit in his hand, and smiled as he watched Emma help herself to a small piece. She'd come a long way from the woman he'd first met who wouldn't accept a mint from him.

"Your name, the date, and China," she explained, before carefully biting into her snack. The last thing she needed was for the juice to explode out and stain her shirt.

"Huh. I'm surprised you got nothing for that."

"Well, Google did suggest you might be a Formula 1 driver," she teased, wiggling her brows in his direction. While she was almost certain Killian was not involved in the sport, she could definitely imagine him behind the wheel of one of those cars. He'd quite literally become the definition of dangerously sexy in that situation. "So, are you?" she asked, when he said nothing in reply.

"God no. I'm nowhere near that cool. I'll leave the racing to Lewis Hamilton."

"You know, this would be easier if you gave me your surname," Emma coaxed, hoping he might slip again and give her that last vital piece of information she needed to connect all the parts she had.

"But that would take the fun out of guessing."

Emma wanted to throw some kind of witty remark back at him, but the arrival of the conductor halted their conversation, as they both fished out their passes for inspection. Emma's was handed back to her with nothing more than a slight nod, but when the guy took Killian's from his hands, he frowned down at it for a moment, before looking back at the man who was doing his best impersonation of a rock album cover.

"First class is almost empty, Sir," the guy eventually said, as he handed Killian's pass back to him.

"I'm happy where I am, thanks." Killian tucked the small piece of plastic back into his pocket, essentially dismissing the conductor in the process.

The other man grunted something Emma couldn't hear clearly, but that sounded like it involved the words _entitled arsehole_ ,before he moved his way down the carriage to check everyone else's tickets.

She waited until he had moved on to the next section of the train before she turned her eyes back to Killian. "So, first class, huh? I guess that explains why we used to board and then head in different directions."

Killian shrugged his shoulders a little, seeming almost embarrassed by his upgrade. "I travel a lot," was all he said.

"I get that. If I hadn't just taken out a mortgage, I'd probably have done the same thing."

She'd known that Killian was likely better off than she was, financially speaking. Emma might not have known much about fashion, but she recognised the labels on his clothing as being designer. And she'd seen the credit cards tucked into his wallet when he'd bought them coffee before. She just hadn't thought it appropriate to ask questions about his wealth.

"Well, I'm flattered," she eventually declared, startling his eyes back up to meet hers. "I mean, if you're willing to give up the luxury of first class just to spend a few more minutes with me, these jeans must do _incredible_ things to my arse."

Killian snorted at her words as his shoulders relaxed, and that salacious smirk began working its way over his face once more.

"Oh Swan… there are so many _incredible_ things I'd like to do to that arse. And none of them involve you wearing those jeans."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	14. Chapter 14

As much as Killian had wanted to accept Emma's offer of stopping by her place that evening, he graciously declined it. He didn't want to distract her from finishing her article on time, and he knew that it would need to be sent to her editor soon, in order for her to make her deadline.

Emma was a little disappointed that she wouldn't be seeing more of him after the long couple of weeks they'd spent apart while he was in Beijing, but she loved that he was so thoughtful. She had dated plenty of guys before that didn't give a damn about her deadlines. They saw her refusal for dates on those evenings as her rejection of them, and those relationships had quickly come to an end.

But Killian wasn't like that at all.

He still messaged her throughout the day, and even gave her a location for their date on Saturday evening. But he stubbornly refused to do much more than that, out of fear of distracting her.

The following day it was Emma's turn to stay in the background, as she allowed Killian to do whatever it was that he needed to do for work. He had messaged her the night before to say that someone was stopping by to interview him before the tournament coming up at the end of the month, and that he would be unreachable whilst they conducted that interview.

Unfortunately, he seemed to be unreachable for most of the day.

Emma finally got to speak to him briefly just before she headed to bed that night. But it wasn't long enough.

It was never long enough.

* * *

"Ofsted reports, huh?" was the first thing he said to her Friday morning, when she found him on a bench just outside of her building, sat with one of her elderly neighbours.

"Yeah. Not terribly exciting stuff, but someone's gotta do it."

"Oh, I don't know, Swan. I'd imagine if I had kids, this would be fairly important news. Don't sell yourself so short." He folded the Mercury up to wedge underneath his arm, as he pushed himself up to standing. "Thanks for keeping me company this morning, Doris. It was lovely to see you again." Killian leaned in to press a kiss to the cheek of the elderly woman, who blushed a little under his attention, before sauntering over to where Emma was waiting for him.

"You're always welcome to keep me company, Killian. It doesn't matter what time of the day it is," Doris chuckled, as she waved goodbye to the two of them.

"I'll keep that in mind." He threw her a cheeky wink that had her giggling a little under its intensity, before he placed a hand on the small of Emma's back, to guide her out onto the towpath.

"It looks like you have another admirer," she teased gently. "How long were you two sat out there?"

"Not long. But I see Doris walking up and down this path every couple of days. Did you know she's living alone up here?"

"I didn't." Emma had also seen a lot of Doris since she'd bought her flat. But it had only ever been in passing, as the two women waved hello and goodbye every few days. She'd never really stopped to talk to her.

"Yeah. She has family in the area, but they rarely visit her. It's why she spends so much time outside. Even just the smallest of smiles and waves make her feel less lonely than sitting inside alone."

"You're full of surprises, did you know that?" she asked softly, as she slipped her hand into his. Emma had never really given much thought to her neighbour before, other than the fact that Doris always had a warm smile waiting for her whenever she left the house. But now that she knew a little more about her, Emma found herself wanting to spend some time getting to know the older woman.

The two of them clearly had the same taste in men, so at least that would give them something to talk about.

"Well… I've gotta keep you interested somehow," he chuckled, as he leaned down to brush a kiss to the top of her head. "I feel like the mystery angle is really working for me right now. I might have to try it more in the future."

"Oh – you're planning to date more in the future, are you? Is one woman not enough for you?"

"As long as that woman is you, Swan, I think I could be convinced to stick to just the one."

She elbowed him gently in the ribs at his playful banter, but happily turned her face up to his when Killian slipped his fingers under her chin, to drop his lips down to cover her own. Emma tried to remember that they were stood in the middle of a narrow path, and that they both had a train to catch. But as his hands came up to frame her face, tilting her head just slightly to the left to allow his lips to glide over hers, all rational thought began fleeing from her mind.

All that was left was that overwhelming urge screaming for more.

Now.

"Ugh, get a room," someone yelled from somewhere just behind them. Killian pulled away with a slight growl, as he turned to face the group of kids headed their way down the path.

"We've both got a couple, thanks," he shot back. "It's called being an adult. You'll learn that right around the time you learn that it's not appropriate to yell at strangers you don't know on the street."

"Whatever," one of them called back. "If you've got so many rooms, use them. We don't need to see that shit right after breakfast."

Killian opened his mouth to yell something back as the boys barged their way past the two of them, but Emma reached up to lay her palm over his mouth before he could.

"Let it go. We're gonna be late if we don't start moving soon."

Her boyfriend didn't look too happy about her instructions, but he did eventually nod his agreement. However, before Emma could remove her hand from his mouth, he opened it to swipe his tongue across her palm, shooting her a wicked grin as he did.

"That's kind of disgusting," she chuckled, as she wiped his saliva down the back of his jeans.

" _That_ my dear Swan, was a little peek at what's waiting for you next weekend."

* * *

 **Doris is based on an old neighbour of mine. Her kids purchased her a ground floor flat in my cul-de-sac when her husband passed (and then promptly divided the profits from the sale of her old house between themselves). As long as she was well and it wasn't raining, she would sit outside her doors watching the ducks on the canal, and waving to everyone who passed along the towpath. She passed away just before our first child was born, and the only people who turned up to her memorial service were the people whose lives she had touched with those small waves and smiles each day. Her kids were too busy spending what was left of her money on cruises and cars.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	15. Chapter 15

Emma shimmied out of the dress she'd only just pulled on and tossed it onto the bed, on top of three others she'd already tried on that evening. Killian had told her that he'd booked them a table at one of the fanciest restaurants in the city for the evening, and that if she felt up to it after they had eaten, there was somewhere else they could go to prolong their date.

But it was that uncertainty over a secondary venue that had her tearing through her wardrobe, trying desperately to find something to wear. If he was taking her to a classy restaurant, then she needed to wear something more sophisticated. But if he was planning on taking her to a club afterwards, then something shorter and easier to dance in would be the better option.

She was an inch away from picking up her phone to call off the whole damned thing when she pulled out the last dress she owned. It was one she'd bought on a whim for her graduation ceremony, before deciding that it didn't look right underneath her gown. Emma hadn't even looked at the dress since then.

She slipped the garment from its hanger, before stepping into the fabric and shimmying it up her body. When she finally managed to wiggle the zip all the way up, she ran a hand down herself to smooth out the creases, before turning to take in her appearance in the mirror.

The black dress fell to around her knees, making it rather conservative in length, which would be perfect for the first part of their evening. The sleeves ended around her elbows, with delicate lace detailing, and the neckline featured three lace cut-outs, that had been embellished with floral designs.

As Emma twisted back and forth in her mirror she realised that she liked the way the gown looked on her. It emphasised her breasts and arse subtly, while still giving her a killer figure and a demure look. It was the perfect thing for her to wear for a first date.

She spent a few more minutes just checking over her makeup, and running a brush gently through her hair, before she sat down to pull on the pair of open-toed, black, laser cut-out, ankle boots she owned.

By the time the buzzer for the front door sounded, Emma couldn't wait to get out of her building to see what Killian had in store for the two of them. She snatched up her clutch from the bed, and grabbed a light jacket from the hook by her front door, before flicking off the lights and slipping out of her home. After a quick pull on the door handle to check it was locked, Emma made her way down the hallway and out into the dusky night.

"Wow. Look at you, Swan," Killian called out, the moment she stepped out of the door.

Emma swung her head to the left, expecting him to be in his usual place, leaning against the wall, but frowned a little when she saw the space was empty. It was only when she turned back around that she finally spotted her boyfriend.

"Holy shit," she gasped, before she could think the words through. "Have you seen yourself tonight?"

Killian chuckled a little as he pushed away from the black car he was leaning against, to saunter his way over to where she was stood. Apparently dressing for a fancy restaurant had definitely been the way to go, as the guy was wearing a pair of dark grey trousers, with a matching waistcoat, over a sky-blue dress shirt. The shirt was making the blue of his eyes pop, drawing Emma's own up to them more often that she would like to admit, before they snuck back down to land on the hints of ink she could see along his wrists, when his sleeves rose slightly. And to top it all off, he was wearing a mustard-yellow coloured tie, that somehow managed to make him look smart and sexy, instead of dated and unfashionable.

"Well… this reaction's kinda promising for next weekend," he teased, as he leaned down to offer her a kiss.

Emma couldn't help the roar of passion his lips ignited within her when they brushed against her own. With the added height from her heels, she was able to reach up and thread her fingers through his hair to pull him down to her, as she allowed her lips to slide sensually against his.

Killian had intended to keep things brief and chaste, so that they wouldn't be late for their reservation. But with the way she whimpered into his mouth as he nipped gently on her bottom lip, he found himself gripping her hips tighter, to haul her in closer. He finally pulled away when Emma's tongue slipped out to trace the seam of his lips. Killian knew that if he allowed things to go much further, they would end up back in Emma's flat, with a lot less clothing on.

"We're gonna be late for our reservation," he whispered huskily, into the small space between them.

"We could always make another," Emma suggested. She caught him off guard when she rocked up onto her toes to suck the bottom of his earlobe into her mouth.

Killian might have been the one to whimper that time, when he felt her tongue flick against the stud in his ear.

"I thought you were the one who wanted a proper date," he teased, but without his usual heat. He was struggling to keep their banter playful and flirty, given that he was also trying his hardest to resist the greatest temptation he'd ever faced in his life.

Emma pulled away with a slight pout, and Killian couldn't help but let out a short bark of laughter at it. She'd managed to go from dangerously tempting to adorably sweet in the blink of an eye.

And he absolutely loved that about her.

"Soon," he whispered, as he leaned in to brush a kiss to the tip of her nose. "I think this thing between us could be something incredible, Emma. So let's do it right, hey?"

Emma wanted to protest. She wanted to tell him that it really didn't matter what he did, because he was already under her skin, and she didn't want to dig him out. She wanted to keep him there for as long as she could.

But she also knew that he was right.

Because underneath that spark of attraction that had drawn her to Killian from the moment they had first met, her feelings for him were building. Feelings that could and would get hurt, if they ended up doing something rash. And Emma didn't want either of them to get hurt.

So she took a small step back to put some space between the two of them, as she smoothed a hand over her dress.

"You're right," she finally agreed. "We should probably go before we miss our train."

"Train?" Killian asked, as he raised a brow at her in question. "I know I'm devilishly handsome, Swan. But I didn't realise that I was _so_ overpowering that my presence would cause you to miss the damned car parked in front of us."

He turned slightly to give Emma a better look at the vehicle in question, and her mouth dropped in surprise when her eyes landed on the badge on its hood.

* * *

 **Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for The New Potato photoshoot in NYC in 2015.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	16. Chapter 16

"Wow, fancy," Emma praised, as Killian guided her through the restaurant he'd chosen for the two of them, with his hand pressed firmly against her lower back.

"Only the best for you, Swan," he teased.

When they arrived at the small table that had been reserved for them both, Killian rushed around to help Emma with her seat, before taking his own place opposite her. After ordering a large glass of wine for Emma, and a large Cola for himself, the two of them relaxed into a comfortable silence while they perused the menu.

"Is this another place you come to often?" she asked eventually.

"Um, no, actually," he stuttered out. "I've never been here before. But a lot of people swear this is the best place in the city for a date night."

"Then let's hope they were right," she chuckled.

They lapsed into another comfortable silence for a moment as Emma decided what she wanted to eat, until something suddenly occurred to her. She tried to fight down the instinct to ask her question, knowing that it was probably not a topic they should be discussing on a date night. But the journalist inside of her was struggling to contain itself.

"Out with it, Swan," Killian snapped fondly, as he placed his menu back onto the table and reached for her hand.

"I was just wondering why you'd never been here on a date before," she replied, as tactfully as she could.

"I told you before, I've not exactly been on many successful dates in recent years," he chuckled, as he watched his thumb stroke softly over her knuckles. "I've never really had the urge to take a woman out for more than coffee, since I moved to the city."

"Well, I'm glad you think I'm worthy of a proper date."

Killian lifted his eyes to meet hers, and the smile that worked its way slowly over his face was absolutely breath-taking. Emma had never met someone who could warm her so completely with just one look.

The sweet moment was broken when their server appeared once more, with their drinks balanced precariously on a tray resting on her hand. "Are you ready to order yet?" she asked with a cheery smile.

Killian allowed Emma to place her order first before he made his own choice, and then relaxed back into his seat to watch as her eyes danced around the room. He could see that journalistic flare inside of her, cataloguing every small detail, and already building questions in her mind to either ask at a later date, or to research when she got home. It was truly fascinating to watch the way her mind worked, and Killian suspected that she had no idea what she was doing.

"Are you sure you don't want a drink?" Emma asked eventually, as she picked up her own glass to sip from it.

"I'm sure," he told her, with a soft smile.

"Too scared of damaging that car?"

"Hell yeah. Do you know how much it cost me?"

Emma snorted into her glass in a very unladylike manner, but Killian didn't seem to care. He loved that sparkle of humour that was dancing behind her eyes.

"So… I have to ask, why do you take the train if you have your own car?"

"The car's fairly new," Killian admitted quietly. "I um… until about eighteen months ago, I wasn't really doing as well as I am now in life. I couldn't drive because I couldn't afford the lessons, let alone the running costs associated with a car. So I always took the train everywhere I went. Now… I like having the car. And I like going for drives in it. But I like the train too. I mean, you never really know who you're gonna meet on a train ride, right?" He flicked his eyes up to meet hers, and Emma had to swallow past the lump that had formed in her throat at the intensity burning behind them.

She knew what he wasn't saying.

Even if she hadn't been his reason to use them at the start of the year, Killian was still taking those trains now because of her.

"Well… I'm grateful you decided to keep using them," she assured him, as she linked her fingers with his own. "I don't think our first meeting would have gone so well if it had involved cars."

"Definitely not," he agreed, as their waitress made her way back over with their starters in hand.

As they ate their way through their first course, sampling each other's dishes and offering feedback on them, Killian kept the conversation light. He asked Emma about her week at work, and answered her questions about his, whilst still maintaining that air of mystery he'd managed to keep since they'd first met.

It was only when their main courses were brought out that he finally decided to broach the topic that had been on his mind all evening.

"So, um, next week," he began softly.

"You haven't changed your mind, have you?" Emma worried.

"No. No, of course not," he assured her. "I was just wondering if you wanted me to book you a hotel room for the weekend? I have a suite with a second bedroom for the time I'm in Sheffield. But I didn't want you to feel like you were gonna be trapped with me, if that makes you uncomfortable."

"I think it's pretty fair to say that getting a room of my own is just gonna be a waste of money," Emma chuckled. "As long as you're not a drug dealer or a hitman, I can't see your occupation doing anything to change the way I feel about you."

"Oh yeah?" he teased. "And how do you feel about me, Swan?"

Emma swallowed heavily as she dropped her gaze to her virtually empty plate. She hadn't meant to reveal as much as she just had.

And now he had her cornered.

"I think you already know that."

"Aye. I do. But it would be nice to hear you say the words."

Emma lifted her head to meet his eyes and saw the seriousness of what he'd said flickering behind the humour he was using to hide it. They both knew what was hanging between the two of them. The only question was which one of them would be brave enough to voice it first?

"Maybe I'll say them after you tell me your big secret next weekend," she suggested.

"I hope you will," he told her seriously. "Then I can say them back to you."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	17. Chapter 17

"So, are you up for heading somewhere else tonight, or did you wanna get back?" Killian asked, as he slipped his hand into Emma's on the walk back to his car.

Dinner had been one of the best meals of Emma's life. While the food wasn't as incredible as some of the other places she'd eaten at before, the atmosphere inside the small restaurant, and the company she'd kept for the evening, more than made up for what it lacked in taste.

"I'm in no rush to get back to an empty flat," she chuckled. "What did you have in mind?"

Killian rushed forward and pulled open the car door for Emma to slip inside, before he jogged around to take his own place behind the wheel. "I um… I actually kinda got the idea from you," he replied, as he started the engine. "Well, from the Mercury. There was an article on my newsfeed the other day about a pop-up drive-in cinema, that would be opening this weekend for the summer. I thought maybe we could go and catch the last showing of the day?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," she assured him. "I've never been to an outdoor cinema before."

"Me either," he chuckled. "But you know what they say, Swan. You never forget your first."

Emma reached out to slap gently at his chest, as Killian pulled the vehicle out of the car park and onto the road.

As he drove, the two of them sat in companionable silence, reflecting upon how their date had gone so far, and how their feelings for each other were deepening. While Emma had told herself to hold back until Killian felt comfortable enough to reveal all of his secrets to her, she knew that she was already past the point of no return. There was very little he could tell her that would send her running, and she had a feeling that he knew that too.

But the mystery around him had become somewhat fun. And Emma was enjoying breaking down a few of those walls he'd so clearly erected to protect his heart.

When he finally pulled the car off the road and into a field that only contained a handful of other vehicles, Emma couldn't hold back the wave of giddiness that was building inside of her. There were a few old-fashioned refreshment stands off to one side, along with some portable toilets. And directly in front of them was a large screen that was currently running through some old footage.

"So, what are we supposed to be seeing?" she asked, as he switched the engine off and released his seatbelt. Emma followed his lead, and watched in silent fascination as Killian leaned forward to hit a button on the dash. A mechanical whirring began to sound before the roof of the car pulled away from the window screen, and slowly began folding up, into the boot. "Wow. Fancy."

"Thank you," he chuckled, reaching up to loosen the tie he was wearing. "I figured it would be a shame not to watch the film in an open-topped convertible. That's what they all do in the movies." Emma snorted her agreement as she watched him finally pull the fabric of his tie free, before his hand started working on the buttons at the top of his shirt. "As for the movie, I have no idea. Sorry. I just saw 'classic drive-in theatre' and thought it would be romantic."

"It certainly is," she assured him, leaning in to brush her lips softly against his. Emma knew that anything more would probably lead to them being asked to leave before the film would start, so she pulled back before that could happen. "Do you wanna go and get some snacks?"

"We just ate dinner," Killian reminded her, frowning in confusion.

"I know. But you can't see a movie at a theatre _without_ popcorn."

She slid out of her seat before he could say anything else. But from the corner of her eye she watched as he shook his head fondly in her direction, before climbing out of the car himself.

Emma's heels posed a little bit of an issue on the uneven and damp ground of the field they had parked on. Killian watched her struggle elegantly for a moment, before he decided to take action.

"Here," he said, as he dropped into a crouch just in front of her.

"Here what?"

"Get on," he sighed. "You're gonna end up breaking your leg, or something else soon, and I _really_ don't fancy spending the rest of this date sitting in A&E all night. That's _certainly_ not romantic."

Emma wanted to protest that she was perfectly fine, and could walk to the refreshment stands herself. But the truth was she'd already wobbled a little dangerously more than once, and she really didn't want to fall flat on her face. The dress she was wearing cost far too much to be ruined that way. So instead, she reluctantly took the few steps forward she needed to put herself directly behind Killian, and then jumped up onto his back.

He gave absolutely no indication that she was a burden to him. Instead, he made his way confidently over to the small red and white stand that was offering fresh popcorn and cold drinks, before setting her back down onto her feet at the concrete slab placed just in front of it.

"Okay. What are we getting?" he asked, as he pulled out his wallet.

"A large Cola and a sweet popcorn to share?" she suggested, looking first towards Killian to confirm that he would enjoy both, before she turned back to the guy waiting to serve them. With a slight nod of her head, he began gathering everything for their order. "Do you know what film's showing?" she asked him softly.

"I believe it's Casablanca," the older man answered, as he set everything down onto the counter for them.

"Have you ever seen it before?" Killian worried.

"Nope. You?" Emma had certainly heard plenty about the movie throughout her lifetime, she'd just never had an urge to sit and watch it before. But with Killian by her side that evening, she'd never looked forward to seeing a film quite as much as she was this one.

"Nope," he chuckled. "Guess that's another first we can add to our list tonight." He slipped a twenty onto the counter, and then bent once more to allow Emma to jump back up onto his back.

When she was comfortable, the older guy helped to pass up their drink and snacks, chuckling at the antics of the two so clearly enjoying their date, before Killian tuned to head back to his car.

* * *

 **For those of you who have been asking, timeline-wise, this date is set the Saturday evening before Killian leaves for Sheffield. So in six days time, Emma will know his big secret! Chapter-wise, 24 is the start of that Friday, with the reveal coming not long after!**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	18. Chapter 18

Emma had slept late Sunday morning, as a result of her date the night before. The film hadn't ended until the early hours of the morning, and she and Killian had remained in the field they had been parked in for a while longer, just enjoying a series of unhurried kisses.

When they were eventually asked to leave so that the owner could lock the gate, Killian had driven her back home only to park outside of her flat for a few more long and sensual kisses. Emma had contemplated inviting him in when she began to feel that familiar ache start to build inside of her, but had thought better of it.

She could wait until the following weekend for the two of them to explore _that_ side of their relationship.

But it had been tough to slide out of his car and make the walk back to her front door. Every step she took had her itching to return to his side once more, to beg Killian to take her home with him.

Thankfully, by the time she'd washed and changed she was far too sleepy to analyse the night any further.

When she woke the next morning, there was a message already waiting for her from Killian, and she couldn't help but smile at the sight of it. He'd wanted to let her know that he would be in the city that afternoon for work purposes, but that he would love to see her when he got back to town, if she was free.

Emma tapped out a quick replying telling him that there was never a time of the day when she didn't want to see him, as she waited for her kettle to boil. With a mug of tea in hand, and the prospect of the afternoon to herself, she decided to get comfortable in the lounge to do a little research before work the following morning.

Sidney had suggested that she should start her rotation with the sports team, as he'd expected her to dislike the topic as much as Emma was assuming she would. He'd thought that getting it out of the way early would help her, when it came to finding something she was passionate about.

But Emma knew absolutely nothing about sports.

She must have lost track of time at some point during the day, as when her phone started to ring from the place she'd left it beside her laptop, a quick glance at the screen told her it was closer to the evening, than it was to the afternoon.

"Hello?" she asked, even though she already knew who was calling.

"Hey. Are you okay? I sent a couple of messages, but figured you were either busy or ignoring me."

"I'm not ignoring you," she chuckled. "I was trying to swat up on some sporting knowledge before work tomorrow, and I guess I lost track of time."

"On sports?" Killian asked sceptically. "You're researching sports?"

"Well… yeah," she defended. "I mean, apparently there's a lot of them. I was hoping something would sink in before tomorrow morning."

"Uh huh. And what's sunk in so far?"

"Well… um… _oh_ , I know about that time Leicester City won the Premier League now," she told him proudly. "But not much more than that."

Killian laughed heartily down the line, as Emma sniggered along with him. When he finally managed to pull himself together he asked, "So, do you need to do more research tonight, or do you fancy meeting me for dinner? I wanted to go over a few things with you about next weekend, if that's okay?"

"I could definitely eat." Emma hadn't realised she'd skipped lunch until he mentioned dinner, and her tummy began to growl hungrily. "Where do you want me to meet you?"

"Look out of your window," Killian replied cryptically.

Emma frowned for a moment before making her way over to the largest one in her lounge, to push it open. She chuckled when her eyes eventually landed on his familiar form. From his position outside of the pub, she could just see him sat at one of the tables on the terrace, sipping from a pint glass as he held his phone to his ear.

"I can be with you in half an hour," she declared, already heading for her bathroom.

"Half an hour? What the hell are you planning to do? You live like ten paces away."

"I need to shower first," she chuckled. "Make sure you have a cold one waiting for me."

"In half an hour?" he deadpanned. "Don't blame me if it's warm by the time you get here."

* * *

As it was yet another nice day in the UK, Emma dressed casually for their impromptu dinner date in a black and white striped maxi dress, and a pair of black sandals. She dried her hair as best she could in the time she had, and left it to curl naturally around her shoulders, as she grabbed her bag to head out of the front door.

There was an ice-cold cider already waiting for her in the spot opposite Killian's when she finally slid down onto the bench. He was busy watching a family of ducks swim up and down the canal, but Emma knew that he'd noticed her arrival.

"So, how long have you been sat here?" she eventually asked.

"Have you still not checked your phone?" he chuckled, finally turning back to face her. He'd once again forgone his usual leather jacket, so Emma was treated to the delicious sight of his tattooed arms, barely covered by a tight blue t-shirt. "I texted you as soon as I got here to see if you wanted to join me."

"Shit." Emma had been so focused on getting ready to meet him, that she hadn't even thought to check his messages. When she pulled her phone from her bag, it was to find three of them waiting for her attention. The earliest had been sent over four hours earlier in the day, to let her know when he'd be leaving the city. "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay," he chuckled, reaching across the table to run his fingers over the back of her hand. "You can make it up to me and buy dinner tonight."

"Deal," she agreed quickly, before taking a small sip from her drink. "Now, before I flake on you again, what was it you needed to discuss with me?"

Killian bit down softly on his lower lip as he drew lazy patterns into her skin, taking his time to reply. "I spoke with my manager this afternoon," he explained. "We're leaving for Sheffield on Thursday evening, as we normally do. I wanna get settled into the hotel there before the chaos begins. And we always have this big lunch on the Friday before the tournament starts, as a sort of good luck thing. This is the last event of the season, so it's a nice way to mark the occasion. I was um… I was thinking that you probably won't get Friday off work, with it being such short notice. But I could come and pick you up from the station in Sheffield, if you wanted to come up when you finish that evening? We could go and grab some dinner together before heading over to the venue, and then I'll explain everything there?"

Emma knew that Killian had probably revealed more about his career in that moment than he ever had before. She was pretty certain if she went back to her laptop to Google his name, the date, the location of the tournament, and the addition of it being the last event of the season, she would end up hitting the jackpot.

But Emma really didn't want to do that.

While Killian looked nervous about finally revealing this last piece of information about himself, he also looked excited to share this part of his life with her. And she didn't want to ruin that moment for him.

"That sounds like an excellent plan to me," she assured him. "I'll make sure I'm packed and ready to go on Friday morning."

The smile that Killian turned her way in that moment was more dazzling than the setting sun behind him. Emma couldn't help but feel a little breathless as she marvelled over just how beautiful the man truly was.

* * *

 **Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for Emerald City Comic Con in March 2018.**

 **For those of you keeping track, that's another day down.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	19. Chapter 19

"So, I was thinking," Emma declared, as she slid into one of the only free seats on the train that morning, and pulled her bag onto her lap to make space beside her.

"Should I tell the conductor to hold the train until you've finished?" Killian teased, as he dropped down next to her. "You know, just in case whatever it is you're thinking about is so mind-blowing we end up derailing?"

"Ha ha," she deadpanned. "I was just thinking that there's still so much that we don't know about each other. So maybe we could use this week to change that?"

"Okay, Swan," he agreed. "What did you have in mind?"

"Tell me about your family," she began encouragingly.

Until Killian's face fell.

"Did I start in the wrong place?"

"No, Love," he chuckled, as he slipped his arm around her back to pull her in close. "You weren't to know. But the truth is, I don't really have any family left. You already know about my mam. She passed away while I was young, and most of my memories of her are from pictures and home videos. They're not really my own memories at all. The one of her pointing out the different constellations to me at night is the only clear one I have. And even then, it's mainly the night sky I remember, and not her face. I've built that face and her personality from the few things of hers I have left. As for everyone else… as soon as Liam was old enough to be my legal guardian, the sperm-donor who I used to call dad took off."

"I'm so sorry, Killian," she offered.

"Don't be. It's not your fault that he was a failure. And I had my brother."

"But?" she asked, cringing a little as she did. Emma could already tell that whatever was coming next wasn't going to be a happy story.

"He passed away four years ago," Killian replied softly, staring down at what he could see of the dirty floor between his feet. "Drunk driving accident. Some idiot who was way over the limit pulled out in front of him. Liam swerved to avoid hitting him and ended up losing control. He didn't stand a chance against the lorry headed his way."

"Oh, Killian." Emma reached out to take his free hand into her own, to offer him physical comfort where her words seemed to be failing her.

"This one's for him," he explained, pushing up the shirt on his left arm to show her an anchor that had been worked into the sleeve of tattoos that decorated it. "He was always my anchor in the storm, so I had this done a few months after he was buried."

Now that he'd pointed it out to her, Emma could make out the detailing on the heavy looking anchor that sat just below his elbow. Liam's name, and what she assumed were the dates of his birth and death, had been worked into the design, making for a touching tribute to the man who had meant so much to her boyfriend.

"I'm so sorry you've been through all of that."

"It's okay," he assured her.

A slightly uncomfortable silence seemed to settle between the two of them, and Emma was reluctant to break it. She could tell that there was something else on Killian's mind, she only hoped that he would feel comfortable enough to share it with her.

"I hit rock bottom for a while," he finally admitted reluctantly. "Drank a lot, got into silly fights just so I could feel _something_ other than the pain in my chest. And then one night, this guy I'd known for a while found me after one of those fights. It was right outside the club he owned. He took me inside and cleaned me up. Told me that while it hurt like hell now, things would get better. And he offered me a job working with his son. Something to help keep my mind off things, and my body away from the booze."

"The gas engineer work," Emma mumbled softly, putting the pieces together.

"Yeah. It got me back on the straight and narrow, so I'll always owe him for that. I'll introduce you to him at the weekend, if you'd like? He works as my manager now."

"I'd like that." Emma sank back into Killian's embrace, as she played with the fingers of the arm that was wrapped tightly around her shoulders.

"What about you, Swan?" he asked eventually. "Any family to speak of?"

"Yeah. My mum and dad live back home. And I have a younger brother at uni."

"Where's home?" he wondered, as he pressed a kiss into her hair. He loved how the early summer sun caught it through the window, illuminating all of Emma's natural highlights as it did, making it look like a beautiful golden rainbow flowing around her shoulders.

"By the east coast," she explained. "Nothing terribly exciting."

"Oh, I dunno. It's been a while since I've seen the sea up close and personal," Killian chuckled. "My views of it usually come from the windows of a plane."

"Show off," she teased, as the tinny announcement of their arrival into the city sounded through the small overhead speakers. "Do you have time for a coffee before work?"

"I always have time for you, Swan."

"You're such a charmer," she threw back, hoping that their usual banter would help to lighten the mood between the two of them, after their heavy conversation that morning.

"Well of course. Are you honestly going to deny that it's not part of the reason you fell for me?" He quirked a brow in her direction, and Emma felt her face flame at the truth behind his words.

Killian waited until they'd both gotten off the busy train safely, before he laced their fingers together for the short walk to the small coffee shop that had become a regular stop for them, before they parted ways for their day.

"So, what do you wanna talk about next?" he asked, when they finally had steaming paper cups sat in front of them, with a blueberry muffin for Emma. "Because I'm not sure this place is the right location for a discussion about our first times."

Emma choked on the mouthful of coffee she was attempting to swallow at Killian's taunting remark, spraying both him and the table with the beverage in the process.

"You're an arse," she protested, as he sat chuckling in his seat, while he attempted to mop up the mess she'd made with a handful of paper napkins.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	20. Chapter 20

**I know a few of you have worked out the sport so far, so this one should help you narrow down 1 of the 2 people Killian's character is based upon.**

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Killian asked, as he sat a glass of wine down in front of Emma, before sliding into his own seat opposite her. "You've never seen a football match before?"

"Well I've seen bits and pieces of them on TV, but I've just never really had the urge to sit and watch a whole match," she defended.

When she'd arrived at work on Monday morning she'd completely forgotten that she was due to start her rotation amongst the departments. And she'd certainly forgotten that Sidney had made arrangements for that to begin with the sports team for the Mercury.

Thankfully, the guys who ran the department hadn't expected her to know much, and had been incredibly patient with their explanations and offers of help. One of them, Leroy, had even gone as far as putting together small factsheets for Emma on each of the important sporting events that were coming up.

"What about rugby?" Killian asked. "Surely you've seen a rugby match before?"

"Nope," she chuckled, shrugging off his look of outrage. "I told you, I'm not much of a sports person. I barely even watch the Olympics when they're on."

"How can you live in a city like this and _not_ be a sporting fan?" he asked. "I mean, Leicester City literally just came from nowhere to win the Premier League a couple of years ago. How could you not have taken an interest in that?"

"I was living in Sheffield back then. And Sheffield City didn't do that well."

"United and Wednesday," he cringed. "The teams are called Sheffield _United_ and Sheffield _Wednesday_."

"Who calls a football team Sheffield Wednesday?" Emma scoffed. "I mean, why not Sheffield Saturday? That's when they play, right?"

Killian shook his head fondly while he took a sip from his pint of beer. He should have known that Emma would be the kind of person to make her lack of knowledge on a subject endearing, rather than annoying. After all, she'd never really been predictable.

"But you're enjoying it, right?" he asked eventually.

He'd been too busy on Monday evening to meet Emma after her working day was over, so the two of them had agreed to meet Tuesday evening when she'd finished at the office, at the small pub just up the road from her flat. Emma had called when she'd had some free time Monday evening, to explain how her day had gone. And Killian was pleasantly surprised to hear that she had been enjoying her time with the sports journalists more than she thought she would.

"Yeah," she agreed. "I don't know if it's the atmosphere, or maybe it's because I'm looking at things from a different angle as a journalist than I would be as a spectator, but I'm definitely having more fun with the guys than I thought I would."

"Well, I have season tickets for The Foxes and The Tigers. So next year, you'll have to come to a few games with me and see how you feel about watching them in the stadiums," he chuckled.

"I'd like that," she agreed, before sinking back into her own seat.

Silence around Killian was never normally heavy. The two of them enjoyed each other's company, and often didn't feel the need to fill it with some kind of inane small talk. But as she sat there that evening, Emma could tell that there was something on Killian's mind that he wasn't voicing. Something that was making the atmosphere a little uncomfortable.

"Okay, out with it," she sighed, when it became apparent that Killian wasn't about to offer up an explanation any time soon.

"Out with what?" he asked. "I mean, we _could_ do that here, but you don't strike me as the voyeuristic type, Swan."

Emma snorted into her glass even as she tried not to. He never failed to make her smile, no matter where they were or what they were doing. But she wouldn't allow him to cover something that was so clearly bothering him that evening, with his humor.

"Whatever's on your mind, Killian. I know something's worrying you, so don't even try and deny it. I just wanna know what it is."

Killian fidgeted with one of the cheap cardboard coasters on the table, before he finally spoke up. "Are you um… are you covering any other sports this week?" he asked.

"Is that really what's bothering you?" Emma chuckled. "I'm sure we will be, but you haven't come up in conversation yet. And if you do, I promise to excuse myself from it."

"Why would you do that?" he asked, his brow creasing with his confusion.

"Because I'm looking forward to _you_ being the one to tell me your secret. And I know that even if you're a tiny bit scared about how I'm gonna react, you're looking forward to that moment too. I'm not gonna take that away from either of us when I can simply avoid those parts of the conversation."

Killian's entire body seemed to relax at Emma's words, as he finally lifted his head to meet her eyes. "Thank you, Love. I really am looking forward to showing you what it is that I do."

"I can't wait to find out," Emma chuckled. "I mean, if a practical demonstration is involved in this process then it has to be something exciting, right?"

"Well, that depends on who you ask," he laughed with her, before a devious thought suddenly occurred to him. "Although, given how you looked at me earlier tonight, when I was leaning over the bar to get our drinks, I think you'll enjoy what you see."

Emma picked up the nearest coaster and threw it playfully at him, as Killian ducked to avoid the oncoming object aimed at his head.

She'd been sure he hadn't seen her staring at his arse the entire time.

"Well… I wouldn't need to stare if you stopped cockblocking us," she defended hotly.

"Swan, I truly hope that there will never come a day when you stop staring," he laughed, as he reached for her hand. "Even if I am putting out at the time."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	21. Chapter 21

**For those of you who have worked out what the sport is, this should give you all you need to work out the name of one of the people Killian's character is based upon.**

* * *

When Emma woke Wednesday morning it was with the knowledge that it would be her final day with Killian, before his big reveal. She was absolutely certain that there was nothing he could tell her that would make her change her mind about him. About _them._ But she couldn't deny that as they crept closer to the weekend, her nerves were beginning to build.

Thankfully, Killian was once again sat with Doris, waiting for Emma when she left her flat. And as it usually did, his presence had a way of soothing all of her concerns.

"So, what's on the cards for today?" he asked, as he slipped his arm around her shoulders for the walk to the station.

"I wanna say cricket. Is that right?"

"It sounds about right," he chuckled. "The season started at the beginning of the month."

"You're not a cricketer, are you?" she asked suddenly, as she stopped to turn and look at him.

The weather was a little bleaker that morning, so Killian had opted for a crisp white t-shirt under a brown leather jacket, along with his usual skinny jeans and boots. But he still looked just as dangerously sexy as he always did.

He certainly didn't look like a cricketer.

"No," he chuckled. "Why? Would that be a make or break kind of deal for you?"

"Nope," she assured him. "It would just make sitting through your games a little bit more difficult. Cricket seems like the kinda game that takes _all_ day to get through."

"So duration of matches is an issue here? Because I'm not gonna lie, what I do can last a while."

"I'm only joking, Killian. I'd sit through anything you were taking part in to support you. I'd just prefer it not to be cricket. Because that's kinda boring."

Emma turned to begin walking once more, tugging on her boyfriend's hand to encourage him to follow her, as she looped his arm around her shoulders again.

"Okay. Well… it's not cricket. But you might be in for a couple of long days, if you decide to stick around," he warned gently.

"Killian, I could spend hours watching you prop up a bar and it wouldn't bore me. Trust me, you have nothing to worry about," she soothed. "Now, are you all set for this weekend?"

"I think so," he chuckled awkwardly. "I'm always one of those last-minute packers, so I've been tossing the odd thing into my case over the last couple of days, but I'll do the majority of it tomorrow morning. All of the important stuff is ready to go. The rest I can either live without, or buy when I'm in Sheffield."

"You sound like me," Emma snorted. "I think I did all of my packing to head down here in the week leading up to the move. My dad was so angry with me when he came to help out, as I was literally still throwing things into boxes while he was putting boxes into his van."

"So what we've learned this morning is that any holidays we take together we're basically screwed for," Killian summarized, as he pulled out his pass to swipe over the gate that would allow them onto the platform.

"Yep. And God help us if we ever decide to live together, because we might end up with two places for a few months, while we pack." Killian raised a brow at Emma in question and she hurried on to clarify, "I mean, not that we're anywhere close to being at that stage of our relationship yet. I was just offering it up as an example."

"It's okay, Swan. I like watching you squirm," he teased, as he ducked into the small shop to grab a few snacks for the rest of his day. Killian had a feeling that he wasn't going to get much time to eat lunch, given that he wanted to see Emma when she finished work.

"You know, speaking of homes," she deflected, "Why have I never seen yours? I mean, we walk right by my flat every other day. And you've been inside of it a handful of times now. So why don't you ever invite me back to your place?"

"I want to," he declared passionately. "I've written and deleted so many messages to you about coming back to my place. But… I have trophies," he whispered softly, almost like he was ashamed to admit his accomplishments. "And there's no way you wouldn't know what I did, when you saw them."

"That makes sense."

Emma could tell that Killian wasn't the kind of person to brag about his achievements. For all of his confident and cocky bravado, he seemed to be genuinely humble in a lot of areas of his life. He certainly wasn't flaunting the wealth he appeared to have, nor the luxuries it had afforded him. If Emma had to guess, she would suggest that Killian displayed his trophies because he was proud of what he'd managed to achieve in his career. He wasn't displaying them as a way to boast about all that he'd won.

"I can't wait to see them, though," she added, as they finished paying for their items and began the climb up the bridge. "I mean, you said _trophies,_ which implies that you've won more than one award for whatever it is that you do. So you must be pretty good at it."

The tips of Killian's ears turned an adorable shade of pink, as he brought his hand up to scratch nervously behind his right ear. Emma had never seen him look so bashful before, but she decided there and then that it was a look she liked on him. One she would do anything in her power to see again.

"Some people would say that," he agreed softly. "Some um… some might even say that I was the best in the world."

Emma's smile widened as she realised what Killian had just revealed.

Her boyfriend wasn't bragging. Whatever it was that he did, he was quite literally the best in the world at it.

* * *

 **As we have some Jen looks, let's throw in a Colin's - Killian's look here is based on Colin's for the Transformers 3 - Dark of the Moon Irish premiere in June 2011**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	22. Chapter 22

When Emma finished work that evening, Leroy offered to escort her down to her taxi. The paper had reported a string of assaults the day before in the city centre, and the last thing he wanted was for Emma to become the next victim of the attacker. He knew that she didn't live in the city, and often walked most places she went, which made her an easy target, in his opinion.

"You know, you honestly didn't have to do this," she chuckled, as they stepped out of the elevator and into the main lobby of the building. Emma was fairly confident that whoever was behind the attacks wouldn't come for her. They'd all been committed late at night, close to the clubs in the city, which were nowhere near the business park where the Mercury's offices were located.

"Nonsense," he replied. "It's not exactly taking time away from my day. I'm headed the same way you are, and it gives me peace of mind that I haven't sent our newest recruit out into the city alone, when someone dangerous is running around it."

"Well, thank you. I appreciate that. You're a kind soul, Leroy."

Leroy blushed a little at Emma's compliment, but said nothing else as the two of them headed for the exit.

As soon as Emma pushed open the door to head outside, she could feel a set of eyes upon her. She should have known that her boyfriend would have ended up reading the same article, and worrying over her safety too.

"What are you doing here?" she asked, not even bothering to turn to look his way. She was absolutely certain it was him, and she knew exactly where he'd be waiting for her.

Leroy's face screwed up with his confusion, but before he could reply, Killian answered with, "A guy can't come and meet his girlfriend after work without being questioned?"

"Not when earlier this morning he agreed to meet her at a café in the city."

Emma turned back to face Killian, but she couldn't stop the smile that tugged at her lips when her eyes landed on him. She loved that he'd been concerned enough to go out of his way to meet her at the office. There weren't many guys from her past who would have cared enough to do that.

At the sound of the harsh throat-clearing from behind her, Emma turned to introduce Killian to her co-worker. But she froze a little when she saw the way Leroy was looking at him.

It took her a moment longer to realise that it was because he knew exactly who Killian was.

"Um, Killian… this is Leroy. He manages the sports department of our publication. Leroy, this is Killian," she explained awkwardly.

Killian stuck his hand out for Leroy to take, and when the older man eventually slid his into it, he shook it vigorously.

"It's nice to meet you, Leroy. Emma tells me you've been taking good care of her this week."

"Yeah, she's um… she's been great to work with," the other man finally replied, although Emma noticed that he still had a tight grip on Killian's hand. "I'm surprised how little she knows about sport, with you in her life."

"Well, my occupation doesn't define our relationship," Killian replied awkwardly, as he finally extracted his hand from the other man's grip. He turned his attention back to Emma for a moment, before he finally said, "Speaking of which, given that I'm leaving for Sheffield tomorrow, Emma and I wanted to make the most of our evening together. You don't mind if we take off, do you?"

"No. No of course not," Leroy chuckled. "I'll um… I'll see you tomorrow, Emma?"

"Yeah, you will," she confirmed. "And thanks for walking me out."

"Yes, thank you for taking care of her," Killian offered genuinely, as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend's waist, to pull her in close.

"It was no problem at all."

* * *

"Seriously?" Emma groaned, as she dropped her head back against the cushions on her sofa.

The two of them had opted to return to her place that evening, in order to spend as much time alone together as they possibly could. And after ordering a couple of burgers and splitting a bottle of wine, their night had inevitably progressed to the point where Emma had found herself laying almost vertically across the sofa, while Killian kissed her senseless.

Until he'd pulled back.

"We have like two days, Emma. We can both wait that long," he chuckled.

"But why?" She was aware that she sounded incredibly whiney in that moment, but Emma really couldn't bring herself to care.

She'd just pulled his hips down to hers, feeling his incredibly impressive length hit her _just right_ when he'd pulled back. And now, she was left feeling even more frustrated than she normally was, after a night spent in Killian's company. "Why are we doing this to ourselves? My bedroom is literally the next door down."

"Because it'll be worth the wait," he argued. "I hope. We might have to skip the foreplay before it, though."

"See! You're just as frustrated as I am right now. This is torture, Killian. I don't even know why I made that stupid promise to begin with."

Killian's features softened for a moment as he allowed himself to slide back across the sofa, until his thigh was brushing against hers. Emma's heart kicked up a notch as victory suddenly seemed that little bit closer than it had ever been before.

Until he spoke.

"You made it because at the time, it was important to you. Which means that it's still important to you now. You're just pushing that aside because you're frustrated. But you and I both know that deep down, our first time together will be better if we wait until everything is out in the open."

"Ugh. I hate when you use logic," she threw back at him, folding her arms over her chest to show her frustration.

And to keep her hands away from the ache that was becoming almost painful between her thighs.

"No, you don't," he teased, as he pulled her back into his arms to press wet, sloppy kisses all over her face.

Because Killian knew there was absolutely no way Emma could ever stay angry at him, when he did that.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	23. Chapter 23

Emma was already at her desk and working away on the piece that would be published the next day, about the information they had been given for the upcoming transfer window, when Leroy arrived.

"Morning, Emma," he greeted, as he went about turning on his computer and making himself some coffee.

"Morning," she called back. "Did you have a good evening?"

"I did, thanks. Did you?"

Emma's mind helpfully chose that moment to remind her of the way she'd parted with Killian the night before. And in particular, of the way in which he'd backed her into the wall just outside of her door, as he'd kissed her with a kind of passion she'd never felt from him before. It had left her feeling weak in the knees.

The next thirty-four hours were bound to be the longest of her year, with that kiss still fresh in her mind.

"So um… you know Killian Jones?" Leroy asked, interrupting her musings as he perched himself on the edge of her desk.

It was the first time Emma had heard Killian's surname, and she was a little annoyed that she wasn't being given the time she wished she had to process that information. Jones wasn't as uncommon as his first name, but it did seem to suit him.

And now that she had a name to match that beautiful face, Emma was more sure than ever before that she had seen or read _something_ about the man. She just couldn't remember what it was.

"Yeah," she told Leroy, biting down nervously on her bottom lip. She _really_ didn't want him to be the one to spill the truth about Killian's occupation.

"And you didn't think that was something we should know about?" he asked. "I mean, I'm not trying to be difficult here, Emma. But he's someone the paper would be interested in interviewing."

"I'm gonna stop you there," she began, holding up a hand in warning as she turned away from her computer. "I don't know what he does." Leroy's face clearly communicated his shock, and Emma rushed on to add, "I mean, I know I've seen him somewhere before, and I have clues that I could probably use to work it all out with, but Killian wants to tell me himself. So don't you dare try and ruin this for me."

"Why are you dating a man when you don't know his occupation?" Leroy questioned.

"Because our relationship isn't based upon our careers. It's based on the feelings we have for each other."

"Huh."

Leroy said nothing else as he considered her words, but Emma was relieved to note that he wasn't treating her any differently, after finding out who she was dating. So her working day was able to progress just as it always did.

* * *

"Hey, Beautiful."

"Hey, Jones." Emma winked for added effect, but her face fell quickly when she noticed her boyfriend's brow crease across their video link.

"Your co-worker told you who I was," he stated. Emma could sense his mood souring, even through the Facetime connection they had established.

"Nope. He only told me your name," she corrected. "And then I told him not to tell me anything else. I meant what I said the other day, Killian. I want _you_ to be the one to tell me."

"So… you haven't Googled my name now that you have it?" he wondered. Because quite honestly, Killian knew it would have been the first thing he'd have done, if their positions had been reversed.

"Nope. I'm still blissfully in the dark," she chuckled, and noted with some satisfaction that his face seemed to brighten at her confirmation. "Now, do I have to wait until tomorrow to see your room, or can I get a video tour?"

Killian laughed heartily down the line as he stood up to walk Emma through the suite he'd booked for his time in Sheffield. She didn't even want to think about how much money it must be costing him, because deep down, Emma knew that he'd booked it for her. The clearly distinct second bedroom that he took his time pointing out to her screamed his intentions, even if he wasn't voicing them.

"I can't wait to explore it in person," she assured him, when he dropped back down onto the sofa once more. "I booked my train today. I'll get to Sheffield station at around seven _pm_ , give or take delays. Will that work for you?"

"That's perfect," he assured her. "We can go and grab some dinner together first, if you want? And then I can take you and show you what I do. The venue will be practically empty at that time of the night, so I can give you a quick tour before the tournament begins the next day. We definitely won't have time for it Saturday morning."

"That sounds good to me."

Emma had to admit that Killian's excitement to finally share his passion with her was only helping to build her own. And it was also helping to distract her from the fact that she would soon be able to see her boyfriend fully naked. As much as she was feeling beyond frustrated with the current situation she had found herself in, the build up to their first time together was now beginning to worry her a little.

 _What if the sex was bad?_

 _What if Killian thought she was too boring?_

 _Or too freaky?_

 _What if neither of them got off, and they realised that they weren't truly compatible at all?_

 _What if…_

"Stop it," Killian warned, his harsh tone startling Emma out of her thoughts.

"What was I doing?"

"I can hear your doubts from here," he chuckled. "There's nothing to be worried about, Emma. Do you honestly think the two of us are going to be incompatible? Really?"

"Well… no," she admitted reluctantly. "But there's always a chance, right?"

"Stop worrying, Love. It'll all be fine. I _know_ it will."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **And to Guest Reviewer Amy – Firstly, you're wrong about Killian's occupation. Secondly, if you think that's all this story is about, then you might want to read it again. It's a love story. The mystery element was just an added piece I chose to weave in to make it more unique.**


	24. Chapter 24

**Ready for the beginning of the end?**

* * *

Friday morning saw Emma in a bit of a rush, as she threw the last of her toiletries into her suitcase and quickly zipped it closed, before leaving her flat. While she knew that Killian wouldn't be waiting outside for her, she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed to find Doris sat alone. But that didn't stop Emma from offering the older woman a small smile and a quick hello, before she began her walk to the station, pulling her case along behind her.

Her day at work seemed to pass by so much more slowly than any day ever had before. Emma was sure it was because her eyes continually drifted over to the time in the corner of her screen. But she couldn't seem to stop herself from doing so.

Thankfully, just after she returned from lunch, Sidney called and asked to see her in his office. Emma knew that he'd want to go over how her week had gone working in the sports department, and she hoped that it would help her kill more time until she could leave for Sheffield.

"Emma, do come in," he greeted, before she could even raise her hand to knock on the open door. "How are you finding the sporting side of journalism?"

"I'm um… I'm actually having more fun there than I thought I would," she admitted with a wry chuckle. "I like the slightly more free style of writing that can be used in the articles. But I have to admit, I think I might be a little too inexperienced to make it work."

"Oh, I don't know," Sidney countered. "The boys all say that they've loved having you, and that you soak up facts and figures well. A year in the department would see your knowledge base growing and expanding rapidly, if that's where you decide you want to remain. But I do think we should go ahead and continue your rotation next month."

"Next month?" Emma asked, her brow creasing in confusion.

"Yes. I assume you'll want to support your boyfriend over the next few weeks, so I was prepared to allow you the time off to do so."

"Oh, um…" Emma wasn't really sure what to say. She should have known that the name of her date would make it back to her editor, given how Leroy had reacted when they were introduced. But she hadn't expected Sidney to offer her time off as a result of it. "I um… I don't actually know what he does, so I'm not really sure when it'll happen, or how long it'll take," she mumbled lamely.

Sidney chuckled a little as he pulled off his glasses to lean forward across the desk. "Leroy explained that it was some kind of big secret that Killian was planning to reveal to you this weekend. I won't go into too much detail, as I don't want to ruin that moment for you both, but the games he'll be playing are long, and usually spread over a few days. If you wanted to go and support him on those days, then I'm happy for you to do so. On one condition."

Emma's heart lurched a little at Sidney's addition. As much as she wanted to be able to support Killian throughout the tournament he was about to partake in, there were some lines she wasn't willing to cross.

"I'd like an exclusive interview with him when it's all over," Sidney added, as he relaxed back into his seat.

"Oh. Thank god," she whispered, although apparently not quietly enough, as Sidney began laughing heartily.

"I'm not sure what you were expecting there, Emma. But I can assure you I am nothing but professional in the way I conduct my business."

"Of course," she agreed. "Sorry. I've had guys add conditions to terms before, and it's usually of a far more sleazy nature." Emma cringed as she remembered the so-called smooth talking editor she'd met in college. "I um… I can't promise anything, as I won't speak for Killian. But I can ask him and see what he says?"

"That would be wonderful, thank you. And I hope you enjoy your weekend, Emma."

"Thanks, Sidney. I hope you have fun at Alton Towers with your boys."

Emma knew when she was being dismissed, so she stood quickly to make her escape from the office, and headed back to her desk to finish the piece she had been working on for the Saturday morning edition.

* * *

As soon as the clock on the wall ticked over to display 17:00 in bright red numbers, Emma hit the button to close down her computer for the weekend, and grabbed her coat from where it had been hung by the door.

She couldn't wait to get out of the building and onto the train that would put her ever closer to her handsome boyfriend. And it seemed like her co-workers could certainly tell, as a few of them chuckled at her antics before calling out, "Have a great weekend, Emma."

"Oh, I'm sure I will," she threw over her shoulder, but froze in concern when she saw that Leroy was blocking her way out of the office. He was holding a large brown envelope, and his face reflected his own hesitation over whatever was inside of it.

"Don't open it until he tells you what he does," he warned, as the tips of his ears turned bright pink. "But I um… I thought this might help you."

Emma smiled softly as she realised that her friend had made up another of his factsheets to help her out, before she tucked the envelope into her bag and pulled the older man in for a hug. "Thanks, Leroy. You're a sweetheart."

Leroy's blush seemed to intensify as he mumbled, "Have a great weekend, Emma," before he stepped out of her way.

"I'll see you guys on Monday," she told the office, before hurrying out of the building.

The usual walk to the station took much less time than it normally did, and when she finally made it onto her platform, Emma sought refuge in the small café there as she waited for her train to arrive.

Killian had been busy for most of the day, doing whatever it was that he needed to do for his job. But when he'd had some free time, he'd made sure to message her, just to let Emma know how much he was looking forward to seeing her again. So as she waited for her departure time to crawl ever closer, she pulled out her phone to take a quick picture of herself, and sent it his way.

 _It feels strange being here without you. X_

She wasn't expecting Killian's reply to come through so quickly, but she found herself grinning from ear-to-ear when it did. He had also sent a picture of himself, sat behind the wheel of his car, attached to a message that said;

 **Ready and waiting to come and collect you, Love.**

 **I've missed you today. X**

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	25. Chapter 25

Killian wasn't hard to find when Emma finally left the Station at Sheffield. He was waiting just beside the main entrance to the building, standing out of the way of the people who were entering and leaving, while still being close enough that she couldn't have missed him even if she'd tried.

"Hey," she greeted.

When she was finally close enough to touch, Killian reached out to pull her into his arms, and pressed a chaste kiss to her lips.

"How was your journey?" he asked, as he took the handle of Emma's suitcase from her, before sliding his free arm around her waist to guide her out to where he'd parked his car.

"It was okay. Nowhere near as interesting as my usual morning commutes. There just weren't enough sexy Irish men on the train."

"How many sexy Irish men do you need in your life?" he teased.

"I suppose the one I have is enough," she sighed dramatically. "How was your day?"

"It was good. I got to catch up with some old friends, which is always nice. And I got to gush to them all about my wonderful new girlfriend. You'll love her."

"Ha ha," she deadpanned, as they came to a stop in front of his car.

Killian took a moment to slip her suitcase into the luggage compartment at the front of the vehicle, before he came around to open Emma's door for her. "So, did you wanna go back to the hotel and freshen up before we head out for dinner?" he asked, once they were both safely inside.

"Please. I wasn't sure where you were thinking of going, so I packed a couple of different things to wear. But before we do that, there's something else I'd like more," she teased.

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

Emma didn't bother replying. Instead, she reached over to grab a fistful of Killian's shirt to tug his lips down to hers. The kiss was everything the one inside the station hadn't been, as Killian allowed his tongue to gently caress hers, while Emma sucked softly on his bottom lip. It was sweet in the way that it spoke of their feelings for one another, and yet full of the passion that promised what was to come later that evening.

"We um… we should probably go before I get a parking ticket," Killian mumbled when he eventually pulled away, although he was struggling to keep his hands to himself.

"Yeah. That's a good idea," Emma replied, even as she continued to brush her fingers along the back of his neck, in a way that was making him shift closer to her. "We'll probably be arrested for public indecency soon too."

Kilian chuckled heartily at that one before finally putting some distance between the two of them, and starting his car.

It didn't take him long to navigate the streets of the city before he was pulling up to a familiar looking hotel.

"The Hilton?" she asked. "Nice choice."

"You've been here before?"

"Yeah. We had our graduation party here not long ago. It's a beautiful location. Very romantic," she added, almost as an afterthought.

"Yes it is," Killian agreed, raising a brow at Emma that told her he'd already considered the added appeal the hotel had in that respect.

* * *

"Wow, this is stunning," she gushed, as she took in the suite that Killian had booked for his stay. She was pretty sure it was bigger than her flat, but the views from the balcony were far too magnificent for her to complain about.

"Thanks." The tips of his ears turned an adorable shade of red at her compliment, as he stuffed his hands into his pockets and rocked back on his heels. "Do you um… do you have a preference for where or what you'd like to eat tonight? Something tells me you know this city better than I do."

"Student life," she chuckled. "But I'm good with whatever you had planned. Just let me know what kind of dress code we're aiming for when I get out of the shower, because I think I packed for every occasion."

"I have a go-to restaurant that I visit every time I'm here. So if you aim for the same dress code as our last date, that should work fine."

"Then gimme an hour and I'm all yours," she told him, before slipping into the bathroom with her case.

* * *

When she emerged a little over an hour later, it was to find Killian sat on one of the small sofas flicking through the channels on the television. He'd dressed for the night in a pair of black trousers, with a matching black waistcoat and a grey shirt underneath it. His tie this time was bright red in colour, and all Emma could think about was using it to pull him to her for more of those wonderful kisses.

"Wow. You look amazing," he praised, startling her out of her fantasies.

"Thanks," she blushed, looking down at herself.

Emma had bought a few new dresses for the weekend, not knowing what to expect from it. The one she'd settled on for the evening was a simple black dress. The textured V patterns that ran all the way up the design made it a little more unique, and worked perfectly with the black, textured pumps she'd found and fallen in love with a few weeks before. She'd added a pair of long earrings, and a simple black clutch to the look, before styling her hair in soft waves that fell across her face elegantly. She'd never spent so long trying to achieve a natural look before, but she was rather pleased with the end result.

Especially given the way that her boyfriend was currently staring at her.

"We um… we should definitely go out more often when you look that good," Killian chuckled.

"I'd be up for that, Jones."

The two of them stood for a moment in silence, just appreciating how lucky they were to have the other in their life, before Killian finally cleared his throat and nodded his head to the door.

"We should probably go," he told her. "Or we might not make it out of this room tonight."

"Would that really be such a bad thing?" Emma wondered, as she cocked a brow in his direction.

"Soon," Killian promised. "Soon!"

* * *

 **Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2011.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	26. Chapter 26

The restaurant Killian had chosen for the night was definitely one of the fancier ones in the city, and Emma found herself grateful that she'd thought to do a little shopping before she'd left. It was already full of smartly dressed couples, that looked to be enjoying their own date nights, as the two of them were guided through the room to their own little table.

"So, how was your lunch?" she asked, once they both had small glasses of red wine sat in front of them. Now that she was within touching distance of that last piece of the Killian Jones puzzle, her curiosity seemed to be burning hotter than ever before.

"It was good," he chuckled. "We um… when you make it to this stage of the tournament, the organisation has a dinner as a sort of bonding event, where you get the chance to meet some of the guys who have maybe never qualified to play you before. So it's a good opportunity to make new friends on the circuit."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience there."

"Oh, I am," he assured her. "Before last year, I did okay but I wasn't doing well enough. I spent more money on playing the qualifiers, and actually getting to the tournaments, than I won. It's why a lot of women laughed at my choice of profession. I mean, who wants to date a guy that _spends_ more money on work than he _makes_ from it?"

He paused for a moment to take a sip from his glass as Emma slid her hand across the table to link their fingers. It was her small way of saying that _she_ would have dated him in that situation, if they'd met earlier in life. And she certainly wouldn't have laughed at him for following his passion.

"A couple of years ago I started progressing beyond the qualifiers and actually began making some cash along the way, to cover my expenses. But last year… last year everything just seemed to fall into place for me. The first ranking tournament of the season I made it to the quarter-finals. By the third, I'd made it to the semis. And when York rolled around, I suddenly found myself in my first ranking event final. I had my arse handed to me in it, but I made it. And I was creeping up the rankings as the year went on. I didn't expect to win last year. I don't think _anyone_ expected me to win it. But I did. And I've um… I've won three other major tournaments already this season."

"That's amazing, Killian," she praised, her heart already filling with pride for the beautiful man sat opposite her. "I can't wait to see you in action."

"Thank you," he told her, looking adorably flustered by her compliment once more. "Now, tell me about your day at work. I have a feeling we'll be discussing mine enough, later tonight."

Emma launched into a recount of her day just as their appetizers were brought out to them. But it was only when their server returned to clear away their empty dishes, that she suddenly remembered the request that had been made of her.

"So um… my boss, Sidney, he uh… he offered to let me have time off over the next couple of weeks to see you play. He didn't tell me what you did," she rushed to assure him. "He doesn't wanna ruin that moment for us. But he made the offer."

"That's really kind of him." Killian couldn't control the mega-watt smile that was breaking over his face in that moment. While he knew that Marco and August would be there to support him during every game, as they always were, he couldn't deny that the thought of having Emma there, in his corner, was much more appealing.

"Yeah, but he had a condition," she explained, cringing a little as she did.

"Okay..."

"He wants you to give an exclusive interview to the paper," she told him, before busying herself with the food that was being place in front of her.

"That's fine, Emma. I don't have a problem with that," Killian chuckled, as he spun his plate around to put the steak he had ordered on his preferred side. "Even if I did, I'd still agree to his terms if it meant having you here to support me throughout the tournament. I mean, as long as you wanna be here."

"I do," Emma assured him. "I really do."

* * *

The moment Killian asked for their bill, a nervous kind of anticipation began to fill them both. Emma knew that no matter what he was about to reveal, it wouldn't change the way she felt about him. But she also knew that once it was out there, their relationship would change forever, as they took that next step together.

And she found herself eager for that moment to come.

But when Killian pulled the car off the road at a familiar landmark, her brow creased with confusion once more.

"The Crucible Theatre?" she asked. "I thought you worked in sports, not the arts?"

"I do," Killian chuckled. "Don't worry, it'll all make sense soon."

"Okay. I trust you," she told him, as he pulled into a space close to the back of the building, before switching off the engine. Killian seemed to take a moment for himself, just to steel his nerves, before he pulled open his door and stepped out of the vehicle.

Emma met him half way, slipping her hand into his as he locked the car, before he led her over to what appeared to be an employee entrance. It didn't take long for someone to buzz them into the building, and as soon as they were inside, Killian appeared to be a man on a mission. He guided Emma through the somewhat familiar halls with a sense of purpose, walking so quickly that she didn't have time to see the graphics and advertisements decorating the walls.

"The stage?" she asked, when she eventually realised where they were headed.

"Yeah. You've been here before?"

Killian knew that he shouldn't have been surprised by that, given that Emma had studied in the city. But with her lack of knowledge about his career, he'd assumed that she'd never visited the legendary theatre before.

"I came for a couple of performances with friends when I was at uni. I haven't been since then, though."

Killian nodded his understanding before he paused at the end of the corridor that led down to the stage. He knew that with it being so close to the opening of the tournament, the graphics would already be plastered all over the walls. And he also knew that he would feature heavily in them, as a result of his performance the year before. But he didn't want Emma to find out about his career that way.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah. I um… do you mind closing your eyes for a moment, just until we get to the stage?"

Emma cocked a brow at Killian in question, but he simply shrugged it off. Everything would make sense to her soon enough.

"Okay," she eventually sighed.

"Thanks, Love." He folded his hands over her eyes to make sure that she wouldn't peek, before adding, "Don't worry, I promise I have nothing nefarious planned."

With his body pressed so tightly against her own, Emma really wouldn't have complained if he had. But she allowed herself to relax in his arms, as he gently guided her down the last remaining corridor, and out into the middle of the stage, which had already been set for the following day.

When he pulled his hands away from her eyes, Killian watched as Emma kept them firmly shut, just allowing her other senses to take over as she tried to work out what was going on.

"Okay," he whispered softly, well aware that any loud noises were likely to cause an echo in the empty room. And the moment seemed far too intimate for that. "You can look now."

When Emma finally blinked her eyes open once more, she took a moment to absorb the layout of the theatre from the other side of the stage, before her gaze finally landed on the two large tables that were stood in the middle of the space.

"You're a pool player?" she asked.

"No," Killian laughed, as he moved in closer to take her hands into his own. "I'm the current world snooker champion."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

 **For those of you who may want to know more about the sport, I'll post a brief crash-course in the game to Tumblr this evening, in around 2 hours time. You can find me kymbersmith-90**


	27. Chapter 27

"Holy shit! You are?" she asked.

"Yeah. I won this very tournament _here_ last year."

Emma took a moment just to allow that information to sink in. She knew absolutely nothing about snooker. Hell, she hadn't even played pool before. But she knew that becoming the world champion in _any_ sport was never easy. So as she stood there that evening, taking in the set up for the tournament her boyfriend was about to participate in, she couldn't help but feel incredibly proud of him.

"So that's what this is? The World Championships?"

"Yeah. The tournament runs for a little over two weeks, finishing on bank holiday Monday." He gave her another minute just to absorb that added information, before finally asking, "So?"

"So what?"

"Was it what you were expecting? Is it disappointing?"

"Not at all," she assured him, as she tugged on his hands to pull him in closer. Emma slid her own up his arms to loop around his neck, as she took the time to ease his fears. "I can honestly say that I wasn't expecting this. But it's not in any way disappointing, Killian. How could I be disappointed in you for playing a sport you love? I know absolutely nothing about it, though, so you might need to teach me a little before your first game."

"I can definitely do that," he chuckled, before leaning in to press a sweet and tender kiss to her lips. "Thank you, Love."

"You don't need to thank me for this." Emma's hands slid up a little higher to play with the short hairs at the nape of his neck. "I would be here supporting you no matter what sport you chose to play."

Killian was lost for words for a brief moment. He had no idea what to say to convey just how much Emma's support and acceptance meant to him. So instead, he decided to show her.

He dropped his lips down to cover hers, brushing them together sweetly as he breathed his every feeling into his kisses. One of Emma's hands slipped down Killian's back to tug him in closer, as the other tightened in his hair, angling his head to deepen their kiss. When her tongue brushed gently against his own, Killian moaned into her mouth, dropping his hands down to grip her hips.

He wasn't sure which one of them moved first, but one minute they were stood in between the two tables that had been placed on the stage, and the next, Emma's back was pressed firmly into the one behind her, as her hands toyed with the waistband of his trousers.

"I want you," she whispered, when she finally broke free of his mouth to trail hot, wet kisses along his neck, and up to that sensitive spot just behind his ear.

"God, I want you too," he assured her. He had never wanted _anyone_ the way he wanted Emma Swan in that moment.

"Then take me," she begged, as she slipped her hands around the front of his body to begin working at his belt.

"Here?" he asked, pulling back to get a good look at his girlfriend's face.

Killian almost wished he hadn't.

Emma's cheeks were flushed with her arousal, which he could see spreading down over her neck and chest. Her carefully styled hair was a little more messy, due to the way he'd gripped at it to move her head. And she was biting down softly on her lower lip, as her eyes screamed her every desire at him.

He hesitated for a long moment, torn between following his head or his heart.

With the tournament the following day, he knew that people would still be around, which meant there was a chance they could get caught. And if they got caught, he would more than likely face sanctions from the World Professional Billiards and Snooker Association.

But he couldn't deny that the thrill of taking his girlfriend on one of the very tables he would soon be playing on, was turning him on more than he ever thought it would.

"You'll need to be very quiet," he warned, as he took a step closer to her and tightened his grip on the fabric at her hips. "This theatre echoes terribly when it's empty."

"Then I guess you'll just have to find a way to keep me quiet," she chuckled. "Now, shut up and kiss me, Jones," Emma commanded, tugging on his tie to draw him closer to her.

Killian's salacious smirk was soon wiped off his face as Emma kissed him like a woman starved. Her hands were wrapped tightly in his hair as she nipped softly on his lower lip, then soothed the sting with her tongue. As she slipped it into his mouth, her hands slid down his back to grasp firmly at his pert arse, before she pulled his hips into her own.

Killian couldn't seem to keep his hands still. He'd been forcing himself to pull back to respect Emma's wishes, every time things had gotten a little heated during their previous encounters. But now that all of their secrets were out in the open, he had no reason to hold back on her.

He wanted to take his time learning every dip and curve of her body, but his brain was screaming at him to just _take_ her at last.

When one of Emma's hands finally dipped into the front of his pants to grip him tightly, Killian lost all sense of slow and steady. Instead, he bunched the skirt of her dress up around her hips, and lifted her to perch on the edge of the table.

Emma let out a small squeak of surprise at the action, and he chuckled against her mouth as he told her, "You'll need to hold on tight. But I promise I won't let you fall."

"I trust you," she whispered back seriously, in a tone that had Killian's tummy flip-flopping with emotion. Emotion he wasn't sure he could put into words, so he allowed it to infuse every single one of the soft kisses he brushed against her lips, as his hands grazed the sides of her breasts gently.

"God, you are so beautiful."

"So are you, Killian," she whispered back, as she began to stroke him softly. "I've been dreaming about this moment since I first ran into you."

Killian groaned as he began teasing the bare skin of her right shoulder, dropping suckling kisses to it between long drags of his tongue, and small nips of his teeth. He let his right hand slip inwards, pushing the fabric of her dress a little further out of his way, as he drew his index finger along the line of her panties.

"How long have you been wet for me?" he drawled softly.

"Oh God, I knew you'd be good at the dirty talk," Emma moaned, while she wriggled her hips in search of more friction.

"Ah, ah, ah. Not until you answer my question," he teased, as he pulled back a little.

"All night," she huffed out, wrapping her legs around his waist to pull him back to her. " _Please_ , Killian."

He hadn't realised just how sexy that sound would be, until he heard it falling from her lips. Killian suddenly wanted nothing more than to have Emma underneath him, begging for his attention all night long. But he was overly aware of their location, and the consequences should they get caught.

So instead, he brought his hand back down to tease her softly. He wanted to make sure that she would be ready for him, even if they didn't have much time to dedicate to foreplay.

"Oh, God," Emma gasped, her own movements faltering when he finally found her clit with his thumb, as he pushed her underwear aside to gently stroke her lips. "Oh, Killian."

"Do you think you can come for me like this?" he whispered. "Or do you need something more?"

"More," she begged. "Please! I've waited long enough. I just _need_ you."

Killian groaned as he pressed his lips to hers fiercely. There was absolutely no way he could ever deny a request like that.

"I don't have anything on me," he mumbled, when realisation suddenly dawned over him. Even in his wildest dreams, he never would have imagined that their first time would be at the Crucible, so he'd left everything back at the hotel.

"It's okay," Emma quickly assured him. "I'm covered. As long as you trust me?"

"You know I do."

He gently pulled her hand away from him to wrap them both around his neck, as he pushed his trousers and boxers down a little to give himself some more room to move.

Killian was grateful for his height advantage in that moment, as the angle Emma was sat at made it just perfect for him to gently push himself inside of her, while her legs tightened around his back.

"Oh, God," he moaned, as he gave them both a moment to adjust. She was so hot and wet and tight around him that he was struggling to hold himself together. "You feel so fucking perfect, Swan."

"Keep going," she panted into his neck, allowing her tongue to slip out and collect the sweat that was beginning to bead there.

Killian pushed the rest of the way in slowly, giving them both the time they needed to collect themselves, as they shared sweet, lazy kisses. It was only when Emma's hips began moving in his grip that he pulled back a little to push his own forward firmly.

"Oh," Emma moaned loudly, the sound bouncing off the walls of the empty theatre.

"Shush," he whispered, pressing his lips to hers.

"You feel so good. _So_ good," she told him, as she tightened her grip on his shoulders.

"I know, Love," he assured her. "I feel it too, and I promise… as soon as we get back to the hotel, you can be as loud as you want."

Emma moaned once more at the promise of what was to come, as Killian picked up his pace, propelling them both closer to that peak they were climbing.

The angle at which she was sat meant that with every single stroke, Killian was hitting her _just right_ , and the moment he dropped his hand down to rub tight circles into her clit was the moment she screamed her release into his neck. She bit down on it a little harder than she had intended, as she attempted to smother her sounds of pleasure.

It was the feel of Emma's teeth against his neck, as she tightened almost painfully around him, that sent Killian over the edge himself. He pushed himself into her one last time, holding steady and deep as he spilled inside of her, groaning words of praise into her shoulder.

The two of them took a moment to catch their breath, before Killian brought his hands up to begin working the buttons on his waistcoat.

"What are you doing?" Emma mumbled, still a little dazed from that rush of pleasure that had her flying high.

"Cleaning up," he chuckled, as he finally pulled the garment off, and then withdrew himself. He moved deceptively fast as he brought the cotton and satin of the waistcoat up to stop anything from dripping onto the cloth of the table, while he gently wiped his girlfriend clean.

"How are you doing?" he asked, as he helped her back down to her feet, and watched as she straightened her skirt.

"You were right," Emma chuckled. "That was _definitely_ worth the wait."

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	28. Chapter 28

**How many of you haven't Googled the title yet?**

* * *

It's an old belief in sport that sex the night before a big game is considered to be unlucky, and most professionals, regardless of their sport, abstained for that very reason. But when Killian woke early Saturday morning with a naked Emma still sleeping peacefully in his arms, he'd never felt more lucky than he did in that moment.

After they'd returned to the hotel the night before, they'd quickly stripped each other bare, before tumbling into bed together to take their time getting to know their partner intimately. Emma had been fascinated by the many colourful patterns along Killian's arms, and had spent most of her time tracing the lines with her tongue, before she'd followed the dip of his hip inwards, to worship another part of his body that had been begging for her attention.

Killian had been completely captivated by just how sensitive his girlfriend's breasts had proven to be. The kind of gasps and breathy moans she'd released as he'd teased each peak in turn had seen his recovery time improving drastically.

Eventually their exhaustion had taken over, and the two of them had fallen asleep wrapped around each other.

But now that he was awake, Killian's nerves had returned once more.

"Morning," Emma whispered, as she leaned over to press a sweet kiss to the spot where his heart was beating wildly in his chest.

"Very good morning," he replied, dropping a kiss to her forehead as he allowed his fingers to drift through her hair.

"Are you playing today?"

"The defending champion always opens the tournament," he told her.

"Shit! What time does it start?" Emma worried. She sat straight up and clutched the sheet to her breast, to keep herself covered, as a mild sense of panic began building in her stomach. The last thing she wanted to do was distract her boyfriend so much that he ended up missing his first game.

"Ten. We should probably start getting ready to head to the theatre soon," Killian teased gently.

"Fuck."

* * *

After taking separate showers, because neither of them really trusted themselves to share one, they both dressed for the day ahead. Emma was slightly stunned to watch her boyfriend pull on a simple pair of jeans and a plain t-shirt, but Killian helpfully explained that he would change in his dressing room, before the match.

She struggled a little with picking her own look for the day, however. Emma had never seen a game of snooker before, so she had no idea how people would dress for the occasion. And her boyfriend's advice to wear whatever she most felt comfortable in wasn't helping her at all. Eventually, she settled on a semi-casual look for her first game, in the form of a sheer, long-sleeved, black dress; a pair of black tights and knee-high black boots.

"Ugh," Killian groaned, as he watched her emerge from the bathroom looking flawlessly beautiful.

"What? Is this not appropriate?" Emma worried. "I can change."

"It's fine," he chuckled. "It might even work in my favour. If you distract the other guy enough with that glimpse of your bra, I might become the first person to actually break this curse."

"Curse?" she asked, as her brow creased in confusion. "What curse?"

"Oh um… they say that there's a curse on the building. Since the World Championships moved to the Crucible, no first-time champion has _ever_ successfully defended their title before. We call it The Crucible Curse."

"Oh my God," she whispered, as her eyes widened in surprise. " _That's_ where I know you from."

"Huh?"

"The paper I worked for in Sheffield last year ran a story about you. I saw some of the reports they did on your win, because you made headlines _outside_ of the sport section. The press seemed to be completely fascinated with your tattoos and that overall bad-boy look you project. Apparently, you'd joked that if you broke some kind of curse, you'd do a press conference naked for them. My friend Belle and I wrote you off as some kind of hot weirdo. We didn't know it was an actual sports thing."

Killian snorted a laugh at her explanation as he reached out to rest his hands on her hips. "Who said I was joking?" he teased, wiggling his brows playfully at her. "But in all honesty, it's never gonna happen. I'm not a terribly superstitious person, but that building is definitely cursed."

"Well, I'm sure it's more of a coincidence," she reasoned. "I mean, it's only been a couple of years, right? So it's unlikely that the building is _actually_ cursed."

"Forty-one," he corrected. "This will be the tournament's forty-second year at the Crucible."

Emma froze for a moment as she allowed that information to sink in. "Okay… yeah, that sounds more like a curse than a coincidence," she agreed. "But there's always a first, right?"

Killian leaned in to brush his lips softly against hers in thanks. "Aye, Love," he agreed. "There is indeed."

* * *

Emma's own nerves exploded the moment they entered the small theatre once more. Even through the back entrance she could hear the noise from the workers busily preparing for the start of the tournament, and the entire building held an air of anticipation that had been missing the night before.

Killian kept her hand wrapped tightly in his own as he guided her through the maze of corridors, to stop before a door that had his name written on tape, stuck to the front of it. After knocking softly he quickly pushed it open, and Emma found herself face-to-face with two people she'd never met before.

"Marco," Killian greeted, letting his bag slide to the floor at his feet as he pulled one of them in for a hug. "I was wondering when you'd get here, Old Man."

"We've been waiting for you today. But I think I can see why." Marco turned his attention away from Killian, and towards the beautiful young woman stood beside him. "You must be Emma. We've heard so much about you." He didn't hesitate to wrap her up in a gentle hug, and Emma returned it as best she could, with Killian's hand still tightly gripping her own.

"August. How's it going?" her boyfriend asked, as he reached forward to embrace the younger man in the room.

"I can't complain," he chuckled. "The wife always loves getting rid of me for tournaments, and I've been counting down the hours until this one began. Work is killing me."

Much like his father, August quickly turned his attention to Emma, offering her a small smile and a nod as he said, "Hey, Emma. It's nice to finally meet you."

"You too," she returned, as Killian guided them over to the small couch tucked into the corner of the room.

"Marco and August will keep you company today," he promised. "They'll also help you learn some of the basics of the game. We thought it might be easier to pick up as you watch, instead of me trying to explain it to you without any sort of visual aids."

"Don't worry," Marco assured him, "We'll take good care of her."

* * *

Emma left the dressing room with Marco and August a little before ten, so that the two men could show her through to the box that was reserved for Killian's friends and family. They also handed her a small radio ear-piece, which she could use to listen to the commentary that would be broadcast on the BBC, in the hopes that it would help her to pick up the game quicker.

She was shocked to find the small theatre completely packed with people when she took her seat. A divider had been placed between the two tables, in order to allow their games to take place separately, and Emma blushed a little as she realised that Killian would be starting his title defence on the same table he'd fucked her on the night before.

After making herself comfortable, Emma placed the small radio into her left ear, before pulling out the envelope that Leroy had handed to her before she'd left work. She wasn't at all surprised to find his usual factsheet hidden inside of it, detailing as much about the sport as he possibly could.

"Okay," August began softly, as he leaned in a little closer. "Do you see the balls already on the table? They're all worth different points. A red when potted is worth one point, yellow is two, green is three, the brown is worth four, blue five, the pink is six, and the black is worth seven."

Emma listened closely as Marco and August tried to explain as much of the game to her as they possibly could, while the time ticked ever closer to ten _am._

But when the MC finally took to the stage the entire room fell silent, and she found herself sliding forward in her seat in anticipation, already swept up in the atmosphere of the building.

"Ladies and Gentlemen," he announced loudly, "Welcome to the Betfred Twenty-Eighteen World Snooker Championships." A small cheer went around the room as the crowd clapped loudly, before quickly settling back down. "We have some fantastic matches lined up for you today. And kicking everything off is our defending champion. He came from nowhere last year to win this title, and has been showing all season how deserving he is of his place as the current world number one. Hoping that he'll have the luck of the Irish on his side this morning, please welcome to the stage, your reigning champion, Mr. Killian Jones."

Emma didn't care that she was probably making a fool of herself as she clapped and cheered loudly, while Killian made his way down the small corridor and onto the main stage, to wave at the crowd.

But when he finally turned to face the small box, her jaw dropped in surprise.

Apparently, snooker was a shirt, waistcoat and bow-tie kinda game.

* * *

 **As an aside, much like Killian I am also not a superstitious person - but that building is definitely cursed. With Mark Williams taking the title this year, it means that in at least 44 years, nobody will have successfully defended their first title win (as Mark's first title came in 2000).**

 **Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for meeting fans after an End of Longing performance in 2017.**


	29. Chapter 29

**16 Days Later.**

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Emma panted, as she fumbled for the belt on Killian's perfectly-pressed, black trousers.

"Yes. Now shut up and kiss me," he demanded, pulling her head back down to his.

She giggled as his lips closed over hers, but still reached down to help him push his trousers and pants over his thighs.

Following his first-round match, Killian had shared with her that many sporting stars felt that sex before a big game was bad luck. But after his ten-nil win that day, he'd decided that sex with Emma was his lucky charm, and she couldn't find it in herself to be mad about that.

"My dad is um… he's gonna come looking for us soon," she panted out, as her boyfriend wrestled down the cup of her bra to pay special attention to her breasts.

"The door's locked," he told her. "David won't find us."

"Oh, thank god," Emma sighed, letting her head drop back against the wall of his dressing room, while she threaded her fingers through Killian's hair.

Her parents had called after his second-round match to ask about her new date, when David had seen Emma on television that afternoon, supporting the current World Snooker Champion. Explaining their relationship had been easy enough, but Emma hadn't been expecting her parents to ask to come up and visit, so that they could meet the new man in her life. And she certainly hadn't expected her father and Killian to click as well as they had.

It had been well over a week since the two men had first been introduced, and that evening, when Killian emerged onto the stage at the Crucible Theatre once more to defend his world title, it would be with a whole new family in his box, cheering him on.

* * *

"We've been looking all over for you two," Mary-Margret sighed, as she saw Emma and her date approach the small table they had booked for dinner. "Is everything okay?"

"Just some last-minute nerves," Killian lied easily. "Emma was helping me work through them."

"I'm sure she was," August snorted, as his friend kicked him in the shin under the table. "How are you feeling, Killian?"

"I um… I don't really know right now," he replied truthfully. "Ask me later tonight."

Killian didn't want to admit that the nerves were really beginning to kick in, but he also didn't want to dismiss them either. As things currently stood, he was only the third person in Crucible history to make it to the final the year after his first win. And neither of his two predecessors had ever gone on to win that match. But when the session had broken less than an hour earlier, he had been leading his opponent by thirteen frames to ten.

That second world title was in touching distance.

"Do you wanna eat?" Emma worried, as she brought a hand up to play with the small hairs at the nape of Killian's neck. She could see the tension he was carrying in his shoulders, and if that small act helped to relax him just a little, she would consider her job well done for the afternoon.

"Not really," he chuckled bitterly.

"You should try," Marco encouraged. "You know how long these final sessions can last. You'll perform better on a full stomach."

Killian didn't have long until he needed to be back at the theatre and changed, ready for the rest of the match. But he'd needed to get out for just a little bit. The weight of expectation pressing down upon him had felt suffocating, so Emma had suggested a small trip up the road, to a place she knew that would be fairly empty.

David had ordered food and drinks for everyone while Emma and Killian had been indisposed, and when they were delivered, the small group of people made light conversation about everything _not_ related to the sport, as Killian picked at his fries and burger.

When Marco eventually declared that it was time to return to the theatre, Killian had barely eaten a thing. But nobody pushed him on the issue.

* * *

"You look beautiful, Emma," her father praised, when she made her way into the box a little before seven to take her seat.

She'd stayed with Killian for as long as she possibly could, making sure he knew that no matter what happened that evening, she'd still be there cheering him on. Emma had finally left when the knock on the door had come, signalling that it was time to begin that walk down to the stage.

"Thanks. I um… I thought this was probably an occasion I should dress up for," she chuckled. She had picked a white, short-sleeved dress for the night, with pale pink roses and little blue butterflies printed all over it. Emma had added a pair of purple strappy sandals and matching earrings to her look, before pulling her hair back into a low ponytail.

While she still wasn't an expert when it came to the sport, she assumed that she should at least make a little more of an effort for the final session of the tournament, given that her boyfriend looked set to make history that evening.

"You thought right," Mary-Margret agreed, as she reached over to squeeze her daughter's hand softly. "How's Killian doing?"

"I think he'll be better when he's back out here playing," Emma replied. "He feels much more comfortable when he's distracted by the game, than he does worrying about what's coming."

The MC took to the stage only second after she'd finished speaking, ready to introduce both finalists to the crowd. Emma could feel the change in energy as he did. The room was buzzing with expectancy, and she knew that it was an atmosphere her boyfriend would thrive in.

* * *

"Oh God. I feel sick," Emma moaned, as she clasped her hands together under her chin.

"Welcome to my world," Marco chuckled, leaning over to gently clap her on the back.

The atmosphere inside the theatre had reached fever point when Killian had sunk his last blue to go seventeen frames to twelve ahead, in the best of thirty-five final.

"Silence, please," the referee called out, as he took a step back from the table that had been racked once more. He waited for the noise in the room to cease completely before declaring, "Frame thirty. Killian Jones to break."

Emma watched as her boyfriend took a second to compose himself before he stepped up to the table to kick off the frame. After breaking he moved back to sit in his chair, while he waited for his opponent to take his first shot.

She knew that Killian considered Will to be a close friend on the circuit, so it couldn't have been easy for the two men to face each other in a game of such importance. But when Will missed the long pot he took on a red to the left corner pocket, Emma wasn't the only one in the room who felt like it would give her boyfriend his chance to clear up.

After the first red was sunk, she felt a little relief seep into her bones, and Emma knew that Killian could feel it too. The black that followed brought more relief with it, along with the next two balls he potted, as the current world champion built up a gentle rhythm and a healthy break.

Killian was sitting comfortably on a score of seventy-two to nothing when it came time to open the small cluster of reds remaining, and Emma knew that this was the make-or-break moment for the entire frame.

"What's left?" she whispered, furiously trying to run the maths in her head, as she kept her eyes on her boyfriend. She could tell that he was carefully calculating both the same number, _and_ the angle he would need to leave himself on the blue, after his pot. It never failed to amaze her just how well he could do both, under such pressure.

"Seventy-five," August whispered back.

"Shit."

She'd been hoping that he would have some kind of advantage if the shot went wrong, because Emma knew that Killian had already calculated the same thing. So _he_ would know that if he misplaced the cue ball even slightly after taking on the shot, he could end up losing the entire frame.

Emma also knew that Killian would know the moment the tenth red was potted, he'd go seventy-three points ahead, with only sixty-seven remaining.

Killian took his time carefully plotting out the shot, making sure that he double and triple checked each of his angles, before finally hunkering down to take it on.

Emma was too nervous to say anything. She simply clutched her mother's hand tighter, as she watched her boyfriend's eyes flick from the cue ball, to the red, to the corner pocket, and back to the cue ball once more, before he finally pulled back and pushed through with enough force to make his shot.

The second the ball disappeared into the pocket, relief flooded through her system, making her feel light and giddy. Killian dropped his head down onto the table to allow the moment to fully sink in, as they both realised just how close he was to that second world title.

"Seventy-three," the referee called out, but he was barely heard over the cheer that went around the theatre, as he asked, "Quiet down, please. It's not over yet."

Killian pulled himself back to his full height, flicking a glance up to Emma in the box, as he made his way around the table to take the blue that would allow him to screw down into the pack of reds.

The blue sent him seventy-eight points ahead, with only sixty-seven remaining, as he split the rest of the pack effortlessly, landing on his eleventh red perfectly.

The moment it was potted and the referee announced, "Seventy-nine," the crowd once more erupted into cheers, as they realised what everyone else around them had.

Killian had just won his second world championship title.

The remaining four reds fell easily, all followed by blacks to bump Killian's break to one-hundred-and-eleven.

He missed the final brown of the game, but it didn't matter. The moment the ball rattled the jaws of the pocket, Killian had slid his cue down onto the table, and had reached out to shake Will's waiting hand. He pulled the man in for a brief but tight embrace, as the referee declared, "Killian Jones, one-hundred-and-thirteen, the frame, and the match."

"Go," Marco encouraged, leaning in to Emma's side. "They'll take you down to him."

Emma flicked a look behind her to see someone from the crew already stood and waiting, so she didn't hesitate to follow the guy through the maze of corridors and down to the stage, to wait for her moment to embrace her boyfriend.

The BBC pundit, Hazel, was already there when she arrived, speaking with Will about the game. Emma listened on proudly as he praised the wonderful performance that her boyfriend had put in for the duration of the tournament, and what a force of nature he'd become on the circuit.

And then Hazel moved over to interview the reigning world champion.

"Killian. Well, what can we say? Congratulations on _finally_ breaking that Crucible Curse."

The crowd around him once more began to clap and cheer, as Emma watched her boyfriend blush an adorable shade of red, while he brought his hand up to scratch behind his right ear. He'd removed his bow tie since she'd left the box, and the top few buttons on his shirt were undone, making him look more relaxed and comfortable.

"Thanks. I um… I honestly didn't think it would happen," he chuckled. "And for a moment there, Will really had me worried." The man in question sent his friend a small smile of thanks, as Killian continued, "He played a good game tonight, and I was just fortunate that I was able to play a little better. I'm sure it won't be long until he takes his first title, though."

"Of course," she agreed. "The guys on the commentary team were talking earlier about how they believe the two of you are the future of this sport, and that's definitely evident in the way that you've both played this final. Before I let you go for the trophy presentation, I have a couple of quick questions to ask, the first being about the young lady in white stood just off to the side waiting to see you."

Emma felt her own face flush bright red as Killian turned to pick her out of the crowd, sending a wide smile her way.

"Is she your lucky charm?"

"Ha," Killian snorted out, licking at the back of his teeth as he tried to work out how best to word his answer. "I um… I wouldn't say that she was my god luck charm as such, but whatever happened to turn the tides of my fortune this past couple of years has also worked to bring her into my life. So I'm certainly planning to keep her around for as long as she'll have me."

Emma's smile widened as she imagined the next few years at the Crucible with Killian, supporting him as he went on to make history again.

There was absolutely nothing she wanted more.

"And finally," Hazel asked, " _You_ might have forgotten about what you told us last year, but _we_ haven't. So, will we be seeing a little more of you tonight in the press conference?"

That cheeky smile that Emma knew and loved returned once more, as Killian shrugged his shoulders and said, "You'll just have to wait and see."

Hazel laughed along with the crowd as she finally declared, "Ladies and Gentlemen, your reigning world champion, Mr. Killian Jones."

Emma clapped along with everyone else in the theatre as Killian thanked them all for coming, before locking eyes with hers once more as he took his seat to await the presentation party.

The first award of the night was offered to the referee, who was given a small token to acknowledge his part in the game, before the MC announced, "And your runner-up, receiving a cheque for one-hundred-and-eighty thousand pounds, Ladies and Gentlemen, The Knave, Mr. Will Scarlett."

Emma almost choked on her own tongue at the sum of money Killian's friend had just won as a result of losing the game, while the presentation party all shook hands with him, before giving Will his own small token to remember the match by.

"And your winner, receiving a cheque for four-hundred-and-twenty-five thousand pounds, the trophy, and the title of the Twenty-Eighteen Betfred World Champion, Mr. Killian Jones."

Emma could hear her father cheering wildly from somewhere above her as Killian made his way over to the centre of the stage. He shook hands with each of the men in the presentation party, before the shiny silver trophy was handed over to him. After pressing a quick kiss to the side of it, the world champion lifted it into the air, as the noise around the room only seemed to grow.

A small step forward put Killian at the end of the table, where a line of photographers had suddenly appeared at the opposite end, ready to snap his picture, while the theatre pumped multi-coloured confetti into the air.

"You can go in now," someone whispered suddenly, and Emma looked around herself, a little stunned.

"Now?" she asked, "They haven't finished yet."

"It's okay. They'll enjoy getting pictures of that moment. The WPBSA likes to push this as being a family friendly sport, so having partners and spouses here to celebrate a win helps with that."

Emma wasn't entirely sure how she felt about her image being printed next to Killian's in the papers the next morning, but when she locked eyes with her boyfriend once more, she knew that it didn't really matter. Killian wanted to share this moment with her, and she wanted nothing more than to be by his side for it. So she cautiously made her way around the edge of the stage, careful not to trip over anything, until her boyfriend reached out to pull her into his side.

"Hey," he whispered down to her, as he leaned in to press a sweet kiss to her lips.

"Congratulations," she whispered back. "You were incredible."

"I could not have done it without you," he told her honestly. "Thank you for being so amazing throughout this tournament. I love you, Emma."

"I love you too."

Emma leaned up on her toes to press another chaste kiss to his lips, before turning back to face the multitude of cameras that were still busy snapping their pictures.

It wasn't how she had envisioned telling her boyfriend how she felt about him. But somehow, the moment felt absolutely perfect for the two of them.

* * *

"You're not seriously going through with this, are you?" she asked, as she watched Killian slowly strip out of the clothes that he'd been wearing for the game. She had a feeling that he was putting on a little bit more of a show than he truly needed to, considering how much he'd wiggled his arse to take off his pants, but she was far more distracted by the thought of what he was planning to do, than she was by his seductive ways.

"Of course," Killian chuckled. "A bet's a bet, after all. You don't mind, do you?"

"No," she giggled. "I just um… I can't believe you're _actually_ going through with it. Won't the WPBSA be mad at you for this? It's not exactly part of their family friendly image."

"Probably," he admitted, "But it's good publicity for the game, so I doubt they'll do more than give me a slap on the wrist. I mean, it had you taking note of me _before_ we met, so…"

"Good point," she reluctantly agreed. "But try not to show the whole world _everything_ , please? I'm not perfect, and my jealousy might spike if I have to walk down the road knowing that other women have seen you fully naked."

"Don't worry, Love," he chortled. "I'll keep the towel on until I sit down."

* * *

 **Emma's look here is based on Jen's look for the opening night screening of Superfly at the 22nd Annual American Black Film Festival on June 13 2018.**

 **Killian's naked press conference is a homage to current World Champion Mark Williams, who did the same thing this year as he won his third world title 18 years after the last one.**

 **The only 2 people to ever make a World Championship final the year after their first win at the Crucible are Joe Johnson in 1986/1987 and Ken Doherty in 1997/1998.**

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


	30. Epilogue

**6** **th** **April 2019.**

"Are you sure we have time for this?" Emma chuckled, as Killian raced around the front of the car to help her out of her seat.

"I'm sure. Stop panicking, Love. The first session won't begin until three tomorrow, so we can sleep in a little later than usual, if the show runs late."

Emma giggled at her boyfriend's excitement as she grabbed her shawl from the seat, and slipped her hand into his own, to follow him into the theatre.

So much had changed in her life since she had first run into Killian Jones, and she could honestly say that she was happier now than she ever had been before.

At the end of the year, Killian had asked her to move in with him, and after a brief moment of panic about selling her flat in the current economic climate, Emma had happily agreed. She was surprised by just how quickly her small home had managed to sell. Although, she had a feeling that her boyfriend had paid a little extra for increased advertising on the place. But she couldn't really find it in herself to be overly angry about that, given that the outcome meant waking up in his arms every morning.

When the World Championships had finished, Emma had thrown herself into her rotation at work, hoping to find a department that would call to her. After spending a little time in each one, she'd eventually ended up back where she had begun, with their small sports team. It had taken her a while to pick up some of the more technical aspects of the matches and games she was asked to cover, but at the start of the season, Leroy had sent Emma and Killian to their first Leicester City game armed with press-passes, and she hadn't looked back since. Killian had been having the best time of his life making use of his girlfriend's connections to enjoy local games of rugby, football and cricket, as well as watching some of the more obscure sports the paper covered.

But perhaps the best part of Emma's new role was the leeway it afforded her to travel with the man she loved, as he took part in different tournaments all around the world. She had proudly watched as her boyfriend had made it to the quarter-finals of the Riga Masters in Latvia, before claiming his first title at the Hong Rui Ma Yushan World Open in China, a month later. Emma had fallen a little bit in love with the country during their first visit, so she had been excited to hear that Killian would be playing many more tournaments there throughout the season.

But it was the trip to Beijing for Killian's China Open title defence, a few weeks prior to the start of his World Championship campaign, that left her feeling more excited than ever before. Killian had managed to secure them tickets for the Beijing Opera while they were in the city, and Emma had been counting down the days since he'd made the announcement.

She'd been a little worried to hear that her boyfriend would be expected to compete the morning before the show, and again the following afternoon. But Killian had been adamant that they would make their reservations. So whilst he was playing his last frame for the day, Emma had slipped away early to change into a beautiful, black, silk, Oriental-inspired dress she'd found on one of her previous trips to the country, and a pair of open-toed, black boots.

"So, what did you think?" he asked, looping Emma's arm through his own as they made their way back into their hotel once more. After the show, Killian had insisted on taking his girlfriend out for dinner, and Emma's night had been made all the more perfect with the wonderful choice of restaurant he'd settled on for the two of them.

"It was perfect," she assured him, as she leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek. "And unlike anything I've ever seen before. Thank you so much for making the time to take me."

"I'd have found a way to make this happen, no matter what."

Emma was far too busy looking at her boyfriend's bashful expression as he pushed open the door to their suite, to immediately notice the changes that had been made inside of it whilst they had been gone. It was only when she turned to drop her bag onto the small table at the side, that one of the flickering flames in the room caught her attention.

"Oh my God," she gasped, as her eyes moved over the many candles that were illuminating the room, to the multi-coloured rose petals that had been scattered around, before she turned back to face her boyfriend.

Who was kneeling behind her.

" _Oh my God_ ," she repeated, when she realised what was happening.

"Emma Swan," he began softly. "I didn't even realise my life was missing anything until you came stumbling into it, and turned it upside down. For over a year now you've been the first person I think about when I wake up in the morning, and the last person I think about before I fall asleep at night. I love you, Emma. And I want to spend the rest of my life loving you…. if you'll have me?"

He reached into the pocket of the trousers he'd been wearing all evening to pull out a small, red, leather box, before opening it up for her to see.

Emma gasped once more at the way the candlelight caught the many diamonds in the ring, sending pretty patterns bouncing off the walls. Killian had always known her better than anyone else in the world did, and that had never been more evident than in his choice of ring for her that evening. The modest sized oval cut diamond had been surrounded by a halo of much smaller stones, to give it a slightly bigger look. The platinum band had also been set with identical smaller diamonds, adding to the wow factor of the design, without it being too bold, or big, or obnoxious.

In short, it was perfectly Emma.

"I will," she whispered back, sinking to her own knees before him. "I'm never letting you go, Killian Jones."

Killian took a moment to slide the simple ring onto her finger, before pulling his fiancée into his arms to kiss her like his life depended upon the matter.

"I love you," Emma giggled, when he finally pulled back far enough to drop his forehead down to rest against hers.

"I love you too."

* * *

The next day, Emma watched on proudly as Killian won his second China Open title in as many years.

But it was the beautiful engagement ring that now rested upon her finger, that left the Chinese host more excited than the quality of Killian's snooker had all week.

* * *

 **Emma's look here is taken from Jen's look for the West Coast Friends of the Costume Institute dinner June 2011.**

 **Thank you so much for reading this little piece, that became so much more than I ever thought it would. I'm sure there will be a few future takes to come (especially after the discovery of that gif), but for now, I am marking this story as complete.**

 **Thank you all for your support on this journey.**


	31. Futuretake 1

**This is just a little something that Joni asked to see in this universe. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as she did.**

* * *

"Are you sure you wanna do this?" Killian asked, as he reached out to take Emma's hand into his own. She was staring up at the building in front of her with a look of absolute terror behind her eyes. But if he'd learned anything in the last eighteen months, it was just how stubborn his fiancée could be.

"I'm sure. I just uh… you won't leave me, right?"

"I'll be there the entire time. Holding your hand if you want it. You've got this, Emma."

She squared her shoulders and nodded her head once before pulling on his hand as she marched over to the front door.

Inside, the building was a lot brighter and cleaner than she'd expected it to be. There was soft music playing through speakers set periodically around the room, and the walls were covered in a variety of bright artwork – some of which looked incredibly familiar to her.

"Killian, it's nice to see you again."

Emma watched as her fiancé spun around to face the person who had called his name. As soon as his eyes landed on the other guy, a bright smile worked its way over his face and he extended a hand in greeting.

"Robin, it's good to see you again, Mate. How're things?"

"Business is good, so I can't complain too much. How about you?" Robin's eyes slid over to Emma, who was stood by Killian's side and clutching his hand tightly, before moving back to his friend. "Who is this beautiful woman you've brought to meet me?"

"This is my fiancée, Emma Swan. Emma, this is Robin," Killian introduced. "He's responsible for about eighty percent of the artwork on my body right now."

"It's nice to meet you, Robin." Emma offered her hand for shaking but Robin took it into his own to press a kiss to the top of it.

"Are we adding more today?" he asked Killian, as she withdrew her hand with a slightly embarrassed chuckle.

"Only something small for me. I booked a bigger time slot because Emma would like to get her first today."

"Oh, a first timer." Robin's eyes lit up with his excitement and Emma wasn't entirely sure if that was a good thing or not. "I do love being someone's first." He winked in her direction and Killian dropped his grip on her hand to wrap his arm around her shoulders, tucking Emma into his side.

"Don't worry," Robin chuckled, as he watched the intentionally possessive display from his best customer. " _You're_ more my type than she is." He gave them both a moment to process that piece of information that he'd just dropped before asking, "So, what are we doing and where, Emma?"

"Oh, I um… I was thinking of putting a four leaf clover on my left wrist," she explained.

While Emma had shown an interest in getting her first tattoo not long after their engagement, it had taken her a while to decide on what she wanted. Given that the inspiration behind the piece was her fiancé, she'd wanted it to represent him in some way. But Emma knew that the golden rule of tattoos was never to have your lover's name written permanently on your body. So eventually, she'd settled on the clover, hoping that it would continue bringing her luck throughout her life. And the image's ties to her soon-to-be husband's home country would also make for a nice tribute to the man that she loved.

"Okay, and what about you, Killian? Where are we going next?" Robin asked.

"On top of my left wrist," he replied immediately, because he'd _definitely_ given his next piece plenty of thought.

"There isn't much space left there. What are you hoping to squeeze in?" Robin took the other man's hand into his own to examine the spot he'd soon be working on. There was only a thin slither of skin left there before he'd need to end up working on Killian's hand, and his friend had never shown any interest in having that part of his body tattooed before.

"Oh, nothing big. Just a name."

Emma's eyes widened in shock as she realised what name he was planning to permanently ink into his skin in such a visible spot. "You can't be serious," she protested, turning away from Robin to face the man that she loved.

"Of course I am. I want to be able to look at something that reminds me of _you_ whenever I play."

"And what if we break up? How are you gonna explain having the name Emma tattooed on your arm to your next girlfriend?"

Killian quirked a brow in her direction before he teased, "Is there something happening that I don't know about? Because I don't plan on letting you go any time soon, Emma. So as far as I'm concerned, there is no hypothetical 'next girlfriend' to worry about. There's only you."

All of Emma's frustrations melted away at her fiancé's sweet words and she leaned into his embrace when he opened his arms for her. "I love you," she whispered, tilting her head back to press a kiss to the underside of his jaw.

"I love you too," he chuckled. Killian leaned down to brush his lips over the top of her head before he took a small step back. "Now, how about we get this started before you talk yourself out of getting one… _again?_ "

"Okay… but you're going first," she told him, as she slipped her hand into his and let him guide her through to the small station where Robin liked to work.

Three hours later, Emma and Killian left the shop each with a new tattoo and a few new bruises for Killian. He'd sworn to her that the process wouldn't hurt too much, and when that had proven to be blatantly untrue, Emma had squeezed down hard on the hand she was holding in an attempt to stop herself from crying out. (She never had coped with pain well).

But the discomfort was completely worth sitting through when Killian went on to lift the trophy for the UK Championship the following month. Seeing her name tattooed on his wrist, just below the end of the cuff of his black shirt every time he stretched out to take a shot, sent a thrill through Emma's body like no other. Because with that one small action, the entire world knew that Killian Jones was hers.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading and reviewing.**


End file.
